Broken Promises
by GriffinHuntress
Summary: What would have happened if Sora never woke? Three years after his disappearance, Kairi is called by a mysterious voice to save a boy she barely remembers, only to find new friends and enemies on her journey. *COMPLETE*
1. Prologue:Castle Oblivion - Kairi's Loss

***Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

* * *

_**"AH!"** The blond girl slammed into the wall. Woozy, and pinned under the dead weight of the one who had tried to protect her, she watched as the two men, one blinded, one limping, fought. **I wish it hadn't come to this,** she thought. By the wall on the opposite side of the room lay the still body of her other protector. **I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.**_

As the blinded red-head retreated, she saw her dreadful handiwork spiral away after him, fluttering like lost butterflies. His limping opponent smiled and fell to his knees. "You'll never defeat me." Then he passed out.

On the other side of the room, her protector's eyes flickered open a last time. She met his gaze with difficulty.

**"I will wake you up. I'll fix this. I'll make it all alright. I promise." **

"I trust you," he said, smiling gently, and his eyes closed in an unnatural sleep again.  
Her eyelids fluttered, unable to stay open. As she lost consciousness, only one thought remained in her mind:

**IT'S ALL MY FAULT. . .**

* * *

**-Part 1: Kairi's Loss**

"And so, I told Tidus that I would love to come see his game- Hey, Kairi, are you listening to me? Destiny Islands to Kairi..." Selphie waved a hand in front of her friend's face and Kairi started.

"Sorry. What was that last part again?"

Selphie sighed. "**I said,** I told Tidus we were coming to his blitzball game. Seriously, Kairi, what is with you recently? You're never listening."

"It's nothing," Kairi hedged.

Selphie's eyes widened. "Oh...! That's a boy 'nothing'! Who is it? Wakka? Ooo, Kairi has a crush!"

Kairi blushed and brushed her bangs back from her face. "No, it's not Wakka. Really, Selphie, is that the best you can come up with?"

"Kairi, are you still thinking about Riku?" Selphie put her hands on her hips. "He's been gone for five years; face it, girl, he's not comin' back."

"It's not like that. Three years ago today is the last day I saw Riku. And **_him,_**" Kairi added, frowning slightly at the not-quite memory.

Sometimes, she had dreams of another boy, one with brown hair and a cheerful smile. That was a dream, nothing real, but the empty hole Kairi felt when she thought about him was pretty real...

Kairi grabbed at her head as pain shot through her thoughts.

**"Kairi?"** It was the voice of a young man.

_How do you know my name?_ Kairi asked.

**You can't remember me, but you saved my life. I... I loved you, Kairi. My Princess. If you need proof, go to our Secret Place. I left something there. You'll recognize it.**

**Kairi, I'm waiting.**

**Please don't leave me alone.**

**Kairi...**

**I'm scared.**

Something was horribly wrong. Why was he scared? He was the happiest, most resolute, most stubborn person she knew.

Wait, she knew him?

* * *

"Kairi? Kairi! _Kairi!_ Wake up!"

Kairi felt someone shaking her shoulder and opened eyes that she hadn't realized were closed to see Selphie standing over her.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Selphie scolded.

Kairi sat up (_why was she lying on the ground?_) and rubbed her head. "Ugh, what happened?"

Selphie shook her head and reached down to help Kairi up. "You just fainted and fell over! I was just about to call for help. What happened?"

"I'm... not sure." Kairi wasn't about to tell her friend about the man's voice she had heard. Oh, sure, Selphie would say she believed her, just a like a good friend, but she wouldn't really. She would just try to talk Kairi out of going to the Secret Place.

"Well, just don't go doing it again. Next time, I really will call for help." Selphie smiled to show she wasn't really angry anymore.

Kairi smiled back. "Don't worry, I won't. Now, what were you saying about Tidus and blitzball...?"

Selphie launched into a complicated explanation of how exactly she had found Tidus and a complete recounting of her conversation with him.

* * *

"Thank you, that was a great dinner." Kairi stood and pushed her chair back. She gathered her plate and carried it over to the sink, rinsed it off, and dried it.

"Kairi dear, are you feeling okay? You barely said a word throughout dinner." Her foster mother looked up at Kairi as she walked by.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just some... old memories," Kairi said.

Her foster father, the mayor, harrumphed. "It's not good to dwell on the past, Kairi. You need to move on with your life. Forget about-"

"Why does everyone say '_forget about Riku_'? What if I don't _**want**_ to forget?!" Kairi cried. "What if I don't want to let him go and just 'move on'? What if- What if he's out there, waiting- waiting for someone to remember him and come and find him?!"

Kairi stopped short, seeing her foster parents staring at her. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just tired. It's been a long day."

She walked to the stairs, then she stopped and turned. "Hey, do you mind if I go over to the kid's island before bed? There's something I need to see. Then, I promise, I'll move on. Okay?"

Her father nodded slowly. "I suppose that would be fine. Just until dusk though. I don't want you out after dark."

Her mother agreed. "And don't forget your phone, in case you get into trouble."

Kairi sighed. "I'll be fine, okay? Stop worrying. I'm almost eighteen; I can take care of myself." _And I've taken martial arts for almost three years now,_ she added mentally.

"I know dear, I just... don't want to lose you." Her mother touched Kairi's face gently.  
Her father placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "You promise after you find this thing you're looking for, you'll forget about all this Riku business and move on?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah."

"Then go. Find whatever it is, and come back."

Kairi nodded again and stepped out the door with a strange sense of regret.

* * *

It took her only a few minutes to walk down to the dock and find her old boat. It was in surprisingly good repair, considering she hadn't used it for years. Rowing the short distance, she only had to stop and bail out water once, and that was only because of a particularly large wave that threatened to swamp the little boat.

She had gone to the island every day for the first few months after he disappeared, but after a while, she had almost convinced herself to forget. After the first month or so, the memories had started to fade, and now she could barely remember anything besides Riku. Today had changed everything. If he was still alive, perhaps Riku was too. Maybe she could find them and bring them back.

Standing on the beach, Kairi looked up at the sky. It was getting red; she had better hurry. It felt strange to be here again, all by herself. She clambered up over the edge of the boardwalk and paused. Which way was it again? No, she knew the way.

Walking past the waterfall, she felt the cool spray on her face. It felt good on her warm cheeks and hair. She stopped at the entrance to the Secret Place, a memory washing over her.

_"Ah! Nononono! You can't come in!" A little boy with brown hair and a child's serious expression held his arms out over something he was drawing on the wall._

_"What 're- Oh, hi Kairi." Another little boy, this one with silver hair, leapt down from a rock, wooden sword in hand._

_"Riku! No constortin' with the enemy!" the brown haired boy pouted._

_"Whatever."_

_She giggled. "I can go if you want. I just wanted to see what you were doin'."_

_"No! You can stay!" The brown haired boy changed his mind hastily and enthusiastically._

_Riku rolled his eyes._

Kairi smiled and ducked into the Secret Place. The ceiling was lower and the cave smaller than she remembered, but she told herself she had just grown taller.

_"This is our special spot. Only me 'n Riku draw here." He studied her. "I guess you can too, since you're our friend. But promise not to tell anyone else, okay?"_

_She nodded. "I promise."_

Kairi wasn't sure what she was looking for. She hadn't been in the actual cave since the night after Riku vanished.

Strangely enough, though she **_had been there,_** she had no memory of the event or days just after. Her foster parents told her Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie had found her on the beach, just standing there, watching the sky. Everyone assumed she must have hit her head during the storm or had simply not known where Riku had gone.

_What am I looking for?_ The voice had said she would recognize it when she saw it.

Kairi turned a corner and was confronted by a large wooden door, its centre decorated by a large keyhole. _Is this it? No._ She turned around, thinking whatever it was might be by the entrance, and found it.

On the wall near her waist, was a simple child's drawing of boy and a girl sharing a paopu fruit. Kairi touched it and a flood of memories came back to her.

_Him laughing._

_His smile._

_Watching him slack off._

_Coming up behind him and watching him carve his side out of the hard stone, just before the storm._

_Seeing him sacrifice himself, and being told that he had done it for her._

_Saying goodbye._

_Giving him her good luck charm._

_Waiting on the beach, sure he would come back._

_Carving her picture next to his_.

Kairi opened her eyes to find herself kneeling on the floor, one hand raised to the image on the wall. A page, looking like it had been torn out of a sketchbook, fluttered down and landed in her lap. The page depicted a boy with spiky brown hair standing on the beach, with a red-haired girl and silver-haired boy standing next to him.

Kairi gently folded the paper up, smiling at the child's sweet image.

She stood, softly touching the wall again, and walked to the entrance. Good, it was still light out.

She could stay a little longer. Kairi sat down next to the waterfall, looking out over the sea.

She didn't even notice when she drifted off to sleep and the paper slipped out of her hand.

A single shooting star fell across the sky, but Kairi didn't see it.


	2. How Did He?

*******Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

* * *

**-Part 2: "How Did He...?"**

"He reached out to someone," the woman said. Her fingers flew over her screen, activating and deactivating sensor arrays and cameras. The flat screen was the size of a coffee table, though, except for a single mug, it was not used as such. Instead, it served as a monitor for the trio standing around it, allowing them to remotely view their project as if they were standing over it.

A young man floated on the screen, cords and cables leading from his headset off the edge, his white robes resting around him. His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell in a slow, but steady rhythm.

"But he's still in a coma. How did he...?" The man's expression was hidden within the shadows, but his voice suggested a frown.

The other man cut him off. "It doesn't matter. Did they hear it?"

The woman shook her head and stopped her typing to look up. "I don't know. I don't even know who he was reaching for or if the person heard him."

"Hmm... Well, keep an eye on them."

"No!" the woman cried, her fingers flying again.

"What is it?" But the man in the shadows didn't need to ask.

The screens had gone dark. There was no feed from any of the cameras or sensor arrays. The headset reported there was no person connected to it, no one to monitor.

Their charge was gone.

The woman slumped back in her chair. "He probably sensed danger and was trying to warn someone."

The second man rubbed his forehead. "We have to get him back. He could be dangerous like that in the wrong hands."

The woman sat back up, a slightly glazed look in her eyes. "I can still sense him, so he's still alive. I can keep working."

"Good." The man in the shadows stood abruptly. "I think I know who he reached out to."


	3. Thief in the Night

*******Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

* * *

**-Part 3: Thief in the Night**

Kairi was dozing, about to wake, when she heard a soft footstep. She opened her eyes just a crack to see a figure, dressed in a hooded coat, climb up onto the path to the Secret Place. Moving quietly, they crossed to the drawing and started looking through the sand on the floor.

Kairi yawned a little and rolled over, keeping her eyes open just a slit. The figure glanced over and Kairi caught a glimpse of deep blue eyes in the darkness of their hood before shadow swallowed the face up again.

Noticing Kairi, the figure came over to where she was and found what they were looking for almost immediately: the folded up paper that had found Kairi, lying next to her.

Kairi closed her eyes as they got close and tried to breathe like she was still asleep. She heard the figure pick up the paper, and she almost reached out and grabbed them, but she didn't, not wanting them to know she was awake.

Kairi didn't open her eyes until she heard the figure's boots hit the sand and then start running. She quietly got up and jumped down to the beach too. Pausing to make sure they hadn't heard her, Kairi started running after the thief.

Whoever it was had a fairly good idea where everything on the island was, because, even as they ran down the dark beach, they didn't trip or stumble. Kairi had a hard time keeping up, until she realized where they were headed: the dock. She took a short cut through some bushes and almost ran right into the figure.

They had stopped, clearly looking for something. As they scanned the bushes, Kairi was sure they had seen her, but they looked right over her. Satisfied, the figure gestured with one hand, signaling someone, and a dark portal opened in front of them. They ran into it and Kairi ran after them before she could change her mind.

She was in a grey nothing-landscape. No walls, no floor, just ever-shifting greyness. At the other end stood a bright portal. Kairi assumed it was the exit and her suspicion was confirmed when the dark figure ran through it and disappeared. As they vanished, darkness started to eat up the corridor behind her and Kairi ran faster towards the bright portal, barely making it through before it completely collapsed.

* * *

Kairi awoke drenched in water. She struggled to sit up, then realized she was sitting under a small waterfall in a fountain. Once she realized that, it was easy to climb out from underneath it and onto the town square.

The square was paved in chipped blue cobblestones (some of which were missing) and surrounded by garden beds in which weeds struggled to grow amid dead and dying flowers. The four small fountains on the low walls around the square were broken and faded; Kairi had somehow managed to land in the single one that was still working. The buildings around the square were in little better condition. Some were half-built and hastily abandoned; others looked recently lived in, but now were boarded up and vacant.

Towering over the whole town was the only thing that looked to be in any semblance of repair: a castle, pipes coming out of and climbing it like some cancerous growth. But even the castle's stone was crumbling and the pipes rusting, many of them spouting steam or water in a sad, but beautiful display.

_Oh no! I was supposed to call home!_ Kairi pulled out her phone, trying to decide exactly how to explain what had happened, a task made harder by the fact that she wasn't sure herself. She flipped it open and a stream of water came out. Her phone emitted a mournful bleep and sorrowfully refused to turn on. _Well, it probably wouldn't get service here anyway,_ Kairi consoled herself.

Kairi contented herself with attempting to wring the water out of her clothes. She was still wearing her favorite pink dress with the scrollwork pattern on the top and black leggings. Kairi grinned as she took off her jacket and wrung the water out. It was black with white trim and a gold heart with pink wings on the back; Selphie had always told Kairi it didn't match her usual pink princess dresses, but Kairi liked it.

Kairi heard footsteps and looked up. A hooded figure was standing on the far edge of the square. Their feet were almost level with her head from where they stood on the parapet surrounding the square.

"Hey! You!" She turned to see a black haired woman and a brown haired man walking towards her, weapons at the ready. The figure turned and started to walk off, their long stride quickly eating up ground.

Kairi looked back and forth, finally deciding on continuing to follow the figure, rather than face the two coming towards her. Shoving her arms into her jacket sleeves, she ran after the figure, up the steps, into a side alley.

Kairi stopped, unsure where the figure had gone. Then she saw them again at the end of the alley, just turning the corner. She chased them, determined to get some answers.

It was strange, Kairi reflected as she ran, the mysterious figure kept leading her in ever-widening circles, but never seemed to quite lose her. _Almost,_ she thought, _as if they didn't __**want**__ to lose me._ She dismissed the thought as unlikely. Why would they go through so much trouble to NOT let her see them, only to have her follow them? She hoped she had lost the others though. It would be hard to deal with one unknown, much less three.

Kairi slowed to a trot, then a walk, as she turned the corner. Above her towered the crumbling castle; she couldn't see the figure anywhere. No, wait, there they were, opening the castle door. She trotted up the stairs just as the door shut behind the figure.  
Kairi touched it, expecting it to be locked or at least wedged shut. Instead, her palm grew warm and, as she jumped back, the door slowly creaked open.

She was in a massive entrance hall, twin staircases flanking a fountain, the first she had seen working (excepting the one she had landed in, of course). Kairi could hear footsteps echoing from directly behind the fountain.

Not wanting to get wet again, she started by going up the stairs and was rewarded by the sight of three doors, one on the right of the hall, one dead centre and one on the left. Kairi climbed up to the one in the middle and, almost afraid of what might happen, pushed the solid door.

It opened easily, belying its size and Kairi stepped out onto a balcony overlooking what must have been the centre of the castle.

It was mostly open, though with steam pipes everywhere, making Kairi more than a little nervous about the integrity of some of the patches, and balconies marking off various levels of the castle. Glad that she wasn't afraid of heights, Kairi looked down to see the hooded figure, one, maybe two levels below her. They were jumping off a platform that was, as far as she could tell, kept in place only by a single energy beam focused through crystals.

As far as Kairi could see, these floating platforms were the only way to travel between levels, replacing the more traditional stairs she had found outside. Spying a similar crystal to the ones on the platforms, Kairi touched it and it grew warm under her hand. There was a slight shudder and the platform the figure had been on slowly started climbing towards her. A small jolt and it stopped right next to the balcony she was on.

Kairi looked at it and was seriously rethinking her not-fear-of-heights when she heard a hiss from behind her. She turned and saw a small black creature with amber eyes closely followed by a tall grey creature with two very sharp looking swords. Deciding that the floating platform was better than sticking around to find out what they were and if they were friendly or not, Kairi tapped the crystal, setting the platform moving, and jumped on.

When she had reached her destination balcony without incident, Kairi looked up, only to find that the two creatures were gone. There wasn't a door here on the balcony, but there was a passageway. Kairi took it, and followed it down into the depths of the castle, quickly becoming totally lost in the darkened passages. The only thing that kept her going was the occasional sound of footsteps ahead and the odd hiss from behind; escaping steam or another creature, Kairi didn't know, but she didn't want to find out.

Suddenly, Kairi ran smack bang into a wall concealed by the blackness. Confused, Kairi felt it with her hands. It was definitely a wall, but she could hear slowly receding footsteps on the other side. She touched it, but her hands didn't get warm or glow and it didn't move. Frustrated at the blockage when she was so close to her goal, Kairi kicked out at it and stubbed her toe on something hidden by the dark.

"Ow..." She bent down to look at what she had hurt herself on. It was two pipes, one large and one small, coming out of the wall at about knee height and then going into the floor about a half-foot away from the wall, creating a square. She poked at the large pipe, not believing the key would be so simple, and felt a hidden slot pop open. Kairi stuck her hand in carefully and pulled the lever she found. The wall opened, and Kairi stepped inside, momentarily blinded by the dim light after the darkness of the tunnel.  
She took another step forward and was blinded again by a bright light that seemed to swallow her up.

* * *

After Kairi finished vanishing, the hooded figure stepped away from the wall where they had been standing, unseen, and walked to the large computer keyboard and screen. They typed in a series of commands and then a short message.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

REQUESTING IMPORT.

_Permission granted. Begin import sequence._

The figure allowed themselves a sigh as they vanished.

_Import successful. Closing terminal._

The lights dimmed to almost nothing and silence returned to the room.


	4. Concealed Import

*******Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

* * *

**-Part 4: Concealed Import**

Kairi woke again, feeling slightly annoyed about constantly being dropped places when she was out. At least this time, she was dry.

She sat up, only to be grabbed by both arms and hoisted to her feet.

"State your business." Standing in front of her was a person, dressed completely in black with glowing orange strips running down his uniform and a helmet covering his face. Two identical people were holding her arms, just above her elbow.

Kairi shook her head. "Wha- what?"

The person marked something on a tablet and then started walking. "No ID. Come with us."  
Kairi twisted and attempted to kick one of her captors, but her foot just slammed into him with no effect, leaving Kairi limping and muttering to herself.

* * *

"I thought you said she'd be here!" the man yelled into his helmet. He wasn't having a good day. Shortly after going to sleep after working all night, he'd been dragged out of bed and told to report for a very important mission. A mission, he was sure, could have been equally well done by anyone else.

The blond woman on the bike next to him stretched. "Don't ask me; I don't know. I wasn't the one who dropped her here."

The raven haired woman next to her yawned. "When can we go back to sleep? I'm tired."  
The man they were talking with over their helmets sighed. "Look, I'm tired too. More than both of you. Now, be quiet and do what you're supposed to."

"You be quiet. It's your fault we've lost her!" The man kept fiddling with the settings on his helmet, trying to get it to zoom in.

"Don't start that with me, young man."

"Young man?! You're no older than I am! Who are you calling young?!"

"No, I am definitely older."

"Maybe she got picked up by a patrol," the blonde interjected calmly.

Her male partner looked over at her. "She- what?!"

"She said, maybe she got picked up by a patrol." The raven-haired woman shrugged. "An out-worlder, without an ID and not wearing a uniform? She wouldn't last five minutes, much less twenty."

"A patrol? But there weren't supposed to be any in this area. That's why I left her here."

"Whatever." The blond woman gunned her engine. "Let's go and look, shall we?"

* * *

"Put me down!" Kairi insisted. She was unceremoniously dropped onto a bench at the base of a strange M-shaped craft alongside a sad-looking row of other prisoners.

"ID?" her captor asked again. Kairi stared blankly, and several other prisoners shook their heads sadly. Sitting next to Kairi, the other prisoners looked very much the same as her captors, dressed in black, save that their stripes were a dim blue or green and that none of them were wearing helmets.

Restraints snaked across her chest and snapped into place as-

"Hold on," one of the guards (at least, that's what Kairi assumed the orange ones were) said unnecessarily as the craft jolted and lifted ponderously off the ground.

* * *

"We just missed them!" The man was in a really foul mood now. They had arrived just in time to see the patrol's Recognizer, one of the craft in charge of security in the system, lift off, taking the person they were looking for with them.

"You know where they'll take her, right?" the blond woman said quietly.

"Yeah. The Games. Where all rebellion is gotten rid of—"

"—For the enjoyment of the crowds." The raven-haired woman stared solemnly after the departing Recognizer.

* * *

"Games. Equip her." The guard pointed at Kairi and then moved on to the next person. As soon as the craft had landed, the guards had been assigning prisoners to various tasks. When they heard that they were assigned to the Games, most of them became despondent and refused to answer any of Kairi's questions.

"Best of luck," the one sitting next to her whispered. He was the only one who would talk to her during the trip.

"Hold on, what do you mean best of luck?"

Another guard grabbed Kairi's wrist and pulled her over to a circle. "Stand still."

Clamps shot out and held her feet in place as the floor started to sink.

When the platform stopped, she was standing in the middle of a large vault. A tall woman, her face and hair pale and her clothes white, walked over to Kairi.

"Greetings."

She touched Kairi's clothes and they immediately turned black, her jacket melting away and being replaced by a glowing harness; Kairi's sneakers melted into boots that grew up until they met her leggings just below her knees. Fingerless gloves spread up from Kairi's palms to her elbows. Luminous circuitry traced its way up her boots, over her leggings and up the sides of her short dress.

As a final touch, the woman snapped a disc onto the back of Kairi's harness. It glowed for a second, then flashed. Kairi felt it doing something, almost like going through her mind.  
"Synchronizing," the woman explained. "This disc is your Identity Disc. It stores a copy of your every experience. Keep it safe and do not lose it again."

The disc flashed, and Kairi's circuitry glowed white for a second, then faded to a very light blue.

"Prepare for the Games, program." The woman checked Kairi's harness one last time and then stepped back.

"What am I supposed to be doing?" Kairi asked as the floor started to rise again.

"Play the Games."

"Wait, what?" Kairi called, but it was too late. Her platform was level with the ceiling, and she couldn't see the woman anymore.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" As Kairi's platform came up, the crowds cheered and yelled. She was standing in one of several crystal spaces floating above a large arena.

"All right, here we are folks! The first Disc Duels of the day! Cheeeeeeer for your favourite or cheeeer for them all!

"In Arena 1, we have our champion Riiiinzler! Facing off against him today, we have a completely new face! Kaaaairi! Ooo, I feel sorry for her!" Kairi started when she heard her name, but as the announcer continued to introduce each player, Kairi tuned him out.

Instead, she watched the screen show replays of past battles. Each one seemed to end with either one or both players dissolving into blocks of data.

Kairi felt slightly nauseous at the idea of destroying her fellow player, but just then the announcer yelled, "Fiiiiiight!", and the Games began.

Her opponent was not much taller than she was, all in black like almost everyone else she had seen, but the small parts of his circuitry that were lit were a dark orange. He removed his disc from his back, and it separated into twin discs, each one's center band orange, while the outer band was white.

"Um, hey, I think you've got me mixed up with someone else. See, I don't do fighting-" Kairi started, but Rinzler snarled and threw his discs at her. Kairi yelped and ducked; the discs whizzed right over her head.

"Really, I'm not-" Kairi had to duck again as the discs boomeranged back to their owner. Rinzler seemed to be slightly impressed by her dodging, but it didn't stop him from running at her, a bladed disc in one hand and preparing to throw the other with the other hand.

Kairi dived out of the way, feeling her world slow down around her. Rinzler slid past her, missing her by centimeters. As adrenaline flooded her body, Kairi felt the world speed up again and she rolled to get clear of Rinzler, ending on the other side of the small arena. His other disc crashed into the crystal wall and stuck, leaving cracks spider webbed around it.

"I don't want to hurt you." Kairi's statement elicited a small chuckle of derision from her opponent and Kairi got the feeling she was more worried than he was.

Rinzler walked to the wall and removed his disc with little difficulty.

"Okay, I guess it's now or never..." Kairi removed her disc and held it awkwardly in her hand, unused to its shape and wary of its edges.

She threw it like a frisbee, and Rinzler easily dodged it. He threw both of his discs at Kairi, and she barely avoided getting hit as one whizzed past her shoulder.

Kairi turned to see where the other had gone and nearly lost her arm as it came back around, only jumping back at the last second.

It did its job though.

Kairi was distracted as blood began to drip from a shallow cut on her upper arm. She lifted her hand instinctively to staunch the flow. Coming back, her disc ran out of momentum and clattered to the floor, half a meter away.

Rinzler leapt forward and knocked her down. As he knelt, holding his disc to Kairi's throat, he stopped, looking at Kairi's arm. Rinzler stood and stepped back.

Kairi took that opportunity to scramble to her knees, grab her disc and slam it into the ground next to her. Data chips flew and she hit it again.

Rinzler seemed to have forgotten her, one hand to where his ear would be under the helmet.  
"It seems Rinzler has forfeited the match! But with his opponent on the ground, I think that makes this a draw!"

The floor was healing itself, but it took time. Kairi slammed her disc into it again and more chips flew, cracks spider webbing out. She raised her hand again, but before she could slam it into the ground, Rinzler grabbed her wrist.

"Don't."

He hauled her to her feet and back over to the circle where he had been standing when she had come up. Rinzler's grip was like iron; no matter how much Kairi struggled, she couldn't break it. The floor started to sink under their feet.

When their platform stopped in an underground chamber, Rinzler handed Kairi off to two guards.

"Wait, where are you going? Where are they taking me? Hey! Answer me!" Kairi thrashed in their grip, but the guards were just as strong as Rinzler had been, maybe stronger.

They brought her up a seemingly endless flight of stairs. When they reached the top, one knocked on the seamless wall in front of them.

A voice called, "Enter," and a door opened before Kairi. Her guards pushed Kairi in, then the wall sealed behind her.

She was in a office overlooking the Games Arena, its window taking up an entire wall. Most of the office's furnishings were black, but the walls were marbled with a dark yellow, almost gold colour, and so were the circuitry tracings on the furnishings, causing everything to look mainly yellow in color.

A tall man stood by the window, a helmet concealing his features. He turned and Kairi saw he wore a long coat with a high collar over the customary suit, all traced in golden yellow.

"Hello Kairi. Welcome-"

His helmet melted away, silver hair tumbling out down his back. His lips split in a smile that didn't reach his cold amber eyes.

"-to the Grid."


	5. Old Acquaintances and Light Cycle Races

***Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

* * *

**-Part 5: Old Acquaintances and Light Cycle Races**

"Who- _**Who**_ are you?" Kairi asked, shaken by this man's yellow eyes.

"Kairi, Kairi... You don't remember me? How sad." He smoothed his hair, which was bunched up from being in his helmet. It was silver, and long in length, with bird-like wings on either side and on top, and twin bangs framing his tanned face. "How about now?"

Kairi was sure she had seen him somewhere before...

"Please, sit." He gestured to the couch, and Kairi cautiously sat down. He sat in a chair behind his desk and steepled his fingers. "You are Princess Kairi, correct? From Destiny Islands?"

"Um, yeah, I'm Kairi and I'm from Destiny Islands, but-"

"Good! I've heard so much about you. When Rinzler told me there was a user here named Kairi, I wasn't sure..." He paused, thinking. "My user used to speak of you frequently, you know. He was convinced there was something special about you."

His manner of speaking was deliberate, as if he thought over each word.

"I am CLU 2.0. Judging from the expression on your face and your reaction to me, you have probably met my user. I suppose you are wondering where you are."

Kairi shook her head, realizing she was staring. "Yes, I am."

He looked at her over his fingers. "You are on the Grid, Kairi. The Grid is part of the Hollow Bastion Operating System. Specifically, we are in Tron City, named after the program that helped destroy the Master Control Program.

"My user was an apprentice of the ruler of Hollow Bastion. When he discovered the digitization software, he was the first user to set foot in Hollow Bastion OS since Tron and as such, he was hailed as a hero here.

"He quickly took control back and started building a world where he could conduct experiments. You see, time flows much slower, or should I say faster, on the Grid."

Kairi stared at him, her brows meeting in a puzzled frown. "What do you mean?"

Clu shrugged. "Each day you spend here could only be an hour on the outside. Or even, a minute. It's hard to know; we haven't had much communication with the outside world in a very long time."

"How long?" Kairi asked slowly.

"Oh, the last real contact I had with my user was almost three years ago today. Since then, we've only had sporadic contact with the outside world. I still strive for the goal my user set for me though."

"What goal?" The longer this conversation went on, the more sure Kairi became that something was very, very, wrong with this man.

Clu spread his arms. "Why to create the perfect system, like he was trying to do, of course! What do you think I am for? I'm not some simple calculating program, adding two plus two! I'm a perfect replica of my user, designed to finish what he started!"

"You're crazy!" Kairi blurted. "All this time spent alone, working on your system- You've completely lost it!"

He shook his head and leaned over the table, lacing his fingers together. "Kairi, Kairi, Kairi. You simply don't recognize genius when you see it. Even if my user never returns, I will eventually unlock the hidden secrets of the heart, uncover things that he could never discover on his own. For that, I need a clean system, _one that harbors __**no aberrations.**_"

"Your plan's not genius; it's just twisted!" Kairi yelled, standing.

Stiffening, Clu straightened. "Do not try me, Kairi. You may think I need you now, but, I assure you, you are entirely disposable." He flicked a wrist and a baton leaped into his hand. "With that disc in my possesion, it wouldn't be difficult to program a replica of you."

"Why do you need me?" Kairi said. She slowly sat back down.

Clu smiled, his eyes cold. "Ah, so the Princess listens to reason. As I've said, I have done a great deal towards creating the perfect system, but there are... aberrations in the system that insist on defying the order; on defying me! They need to be removed. And I need you to help me find them." He slid the hand holding the baton under his desk, and the baton disappeared, hidden somewhere.

"Why would I do that?" Kairi asked.

"Why? Because I have on good authority that one of the resistance is your old friend Riku. Is that good enough reason for you? Or do you need more?" Clu tapped the desk.

"What?! You want me to betray my friend, who I haven't seen in three years, so you can _**remove**_ him?!" Kairi was furious that this man thought so little of her.

Clu spread his hands. "You haven't seen him in three years. A lot can happen in that time. And, that beside, you notice I never said I was going to derezz them. Just remove.

"Look. I'll make it simpler. You beat me at Light Cycles and I will let you go. I beat you and you help me. Does that sound fair?"

Kairi had to admit it did sound fair, but... "What will you do if I don't agree?"

Clu thought about it. "Well, I will just throw you back into the Games against Rinzler. Won't that be a fun rematch?"

"You're crazy!" Kairi stared in shock at the man sitting across from her.

"You said that already," Clu noted, and shrugged. "If you don't like my terms..."

"No, I'll do it. I'll beat you at Light Cycles." Kairi stood. "And when I win, you had better let me go."

"Very well. I will give you five minutes to learn the Light Cycles. Then-" Clu smiled again.

"-The Games are on."

Kairi was led out of the room as Clu turned back to the view.

* * *

As soon as the door sealed behind Kairi's guards, another opened. A hooded figure in a dark coat stepped out, and crossed to stand behind Clu, arms folded.

Clu didn't turn away from the window. "So, was that good enough for you?"

"Why didn't you just let her go?" the figure demanded.

"My dear friend," Clu began. "The resistance is already looking for her. I assume they are the ones who dropped her here. If she wins, which I highly doubt, then they will hear about it and come find her. If I win, they'll still hear about it, and I have a unique spy in their midst. You _**will**_/b get what you are looking for, I assure you. Now, about what I wanted..."

"You are already getting that. The removal of the aberrations from the Hollow Bastion OS system."

Clu shook his head again. "No, no, no. The _**other**_/b thing."

"The access codes to the Input/Output tower portal will be sent to you via a safe courier when we have what we want." The figure turned to leave.

"I hope so." Clu turned around. "You aren't thinking of double-crossing me, are you?"

The figure let out a empty chuckle as they disappeared though a dark corridor.

Clu sat back down in his chair.

There were plans to be made; plans that would negate any treachery on their part.

If there was any double-crossing to be done, Clu wanted to be the one doing it.

"Your move."

* * *

Kairi wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. No matter how many times she threw the baton to form her light cycle, she simply couldn't jump onto it. One of her two team mates looked resigned to their fate to fail and she only had a minute, maybe two, before that Clu came down and she was forced to start.

"Try starting with a running jump," a voice behind her commented. Kairi spun around to see the other of her team mates giving her a kind look. She realized it was the same man- program- whatever- that had been nice to her on the way here.

"Couldn't you have mentioned that sooner?" she grumbled.

"Running. Jump," her team mate emphasized, sounding tired.

"Okay," she sighed, and tried. To her surprise, it worked and her light cycle started going.

Her team mate jumped on his light cycle next to her. "You know, we have no chance of winning, right?"

"Hey, have a little faith! I'm not really that bad, am I?" Kairi tried to turn, just out of curiosity, and nearly destroyed her light cycle as it spun in a circle. "WHOA!"

He grabbed her cycle's left hand hold and made it stop, stopping his light cycle next to hers. "If you lean into the curves, you can make sharper and better ones."

His voice became quiet, barely audible over the hum of the engines. "But, no, that wasn't what I meant. They say that Clu's light cycle is special. That he's made some alterations to it, making it faster and better than regular ones."

"Are you saying he cheats?" Kairi asked in a similar whisper.

Her team mate shrugged. "Not exactly. These are his Games. He makes the rules." He sped off and Kairi followed, circling back to where they had started.

She quickly discovered that her team mate was right; if she leaned while riding, it did make it much easier to turn corners.

Kairi spun and stopped, suddenly almost face-to-face with Clu.

"Ready?" he asked in that infuriating voice of his.

Kairi jumped down off her cycle. "Yeah- I mean, yes, I'm ready. What are the rules again?"

He smiled. "Be the last standing. That's it."

Kairi frowned, but the announcer yelled, "GOOOO!" and Kairi took a running jump, her light cycle materializing under her as she fell-

And then she was speeding off; her two team mates to her left and right, slightly behind.  
Kairi couldn't see Clu and his two lackeys. She fiddled with a toggle switch on her right hand grip. Her light cycle's circuitry blazed and a wall of solid light started to trail her.

"Cool..." She turned her head to look at her friendly team mate. "How many laps do we have to make?"

He shrugged. "As many as possible before we get derezzed."

Kairi sighed. "Why do you think we'll lose?"

"Because we will! Everyone always does."

"Don't think like that! Think- AH!" Kairi swerved to avoid an orange cycle that came up between her and her team mate. The orange cycle flicked on their light ribbon as they sped past Kairi and then cut in front of her team mate, cutting him off. He jumped his cycle to avoid the ribbon, and ran smack into the other orange cycle, disintegrating both his light cycle and the other's.

Kairi couldn't look back to see if he had been hurt, but, certainly, without a light cycle, he was out of the race. So was one of Clu's, but that still left Clu himself and his other team mate.

Kairi gunned her engine, speeding ahead just as a third orange light cycle flew overhead.  
Clu.

It had to be.

Her other team mate peeled off to the left and went _under_ the track.

_So, there are multiple levels to this race. I'll have to remember that._

The first orange cycle unexpectedly crossed in front of Kairi again and she slammed into its ribbon and went airborne, crystalline pieces of her light cycle flying past her ear.  
Kairi's slim frame hit the ground hard, knocking the breath out of her.

Standing shakily, she held her side, sure she had bruised something, like a rib.

She couldn't lose! Not like this! Not to him!

Kairi heard a hum, and she barely had time to register it before Clu's light cycle was upon her, running on the track below her. She ran to the lip of the track and as he passed below her, she took a running leap onto the back of his light cycle, landing on top of him.

"Sorry, I need this."

She yanked at Clu's hands, hoping to remove his grip, but he just batted her hand away. "What are you doing? Get off my light cycle!"

As Kairi's hold broke, she snatched the only thing she could and tried to hit the hard ground in a roll.

She stood again, Clu's spare baton in her hand. Kairi took another running leap onto the new light cycle. As her hands made contact with the grips, the light cycle blazed into blue life.

She sped after Clu.

He looked surprised to see her again as Kairi drew level with him.

"No, you don't," Clu muttered and he slammed his light cycle sideways into hers.

Kairi just smiled a little and sped up, trailing a light ribbon behind her cycle.  
Her team mate came out of a tunnel, closely followed by Clu's remaining team mate.  
They cut back over to Kairi, flicking on their ribbon just as they went in front of the orange light cycle and causing it to crash.

Unfortunately, just as Kairi's team mate reached her, Clu chose that moment to catch up with them. He smashed his light cycle into her team mate, disintegrating both light cycles and sending both riders flying.

Kairi slowed for a second, wondering if they were all right, and suddenly felt her light cycle fragmenting under her. She hit the ground again.

She stood, wincing as bruised limbs complained. She turned around; Clu's identity disc hit his hand and he smiled at her.

"Oh, that's real mature," Kairi grumbled. "They told me you were a cheater, but I didn't believe them. Well, now I do."

Clu's eyebrow twitched and he threw his disc at her. "I hardly think this is a good time to be insulting your host, Princess."

Kairi jumped sideways, but the disc clipped the side of her face, opening a another shallow cut. Her hand drifted towards her back, preparing to grab her disc. Kairi knew she stood little chance in single combat with this man, but she had to do something.

Clu leapt forward, aiming to knock her down again.

Kairi held up her disc in front of her face as if it were a shield.

A large explosion rocked the arena, and a glowing silver energy blade slammed into the ground between them.

A lithe figure leaped down between Kairi and Clu. They were in the suit and helmet Kairi had grown used to seeing, but they were wielding a silver katana that was a twin to the one in the ground. Their suit flickered and melted from a camouflage black to white as they spun their blade.

Pulling the blade out of the ground, they held both in a defensive position. To their left, two other black figures, both helmeted, sat on light cycles not too dissimilar to the one Kairi had been riding. Next to them was a third that evidently belonged to the white figure.

"Get on!" one of the two figures called, and the other waved with both hands to get Kairi's attention.

The white one nodded at Kairi, "Go," and then added to the others, "I'll keep them off your backs."

Kairi looked between the unknown trio and Clu.

_He said something about a resistance... Are they who he was referring to? Was he telling the truth about Riku?_

"Get on!" the one that had called before yelled again, impatience clear in their digitally distorted voice.

Kairi made a decision. She scrambled over to the caller and climbed on behind them. Both figures spun their cycles around and headed for the edge of the arena. That was when Kairi saw the reason for the explosion: the strange trio had blown a hole right through the wall.

"Aren't we high up?" Kairi asked, yelling to be heard over the wind.

The person that Kairi was riding with turned back to her and Kairi got the feeling they were grinning under their helmet. "Don't worry! We do this all the time!"

Kairi gulped and wrapped her arms tighter around her driver. "Please keep your eyes on your driving!"

She chanced a quick look behind. The white figure had their helmet off and Kairi could just make out a woman with blond hair. Her face seemed pale and she was standing in shock, staring at Clu, who had also removed his helmet and seemed to be talking to her.

The woman shook her head, violently denying something. Turning away from Clu, she snapped her blades' baton handles into crossing slots on her back, just below her shoulders. She leaped onto her light cycle and her helmet re-appeared, her clothes melting back into a less noticeable black.

Clu flicked his hand dismissively and turned away, calling, "Security!" As two orange light cycles whizzed by Clu, Rinzler walked up to him. Clu leaned over and said something to Rinzler, who barely nodded, and then joined the chase after Kairi and the trio.

Turning back, Kairi realized she hadn't activated her helmet and did so, the sound of the rushing air instantly cut off. "What are you doing? They're sending Rinzler after us!"  
The blond woman came up next to them. "Don't worry," her voice crackled over Kairi's helmet intercom. "They want you alive." She sped up even more. "COME ON!"

Kairi almost looked away as the group jumped the gap between the arena and the cliff. "We're going to die, we're going to die..." she whispered to herself.

Then they were safe on the other side, and her driver laughed. "Don't worry. They can't follow us out here. Their light cycles are designed for the Game Grid only. We're perfectly safe."

They seemed to be right. Their pursuers stopped and didn't try to jump the gap.

The trio of cyclers slowed down, becoming less hurried and more methodical.

"Can you hold on a little longer? We're almost there."

Riding along in a wasteland, Kairi wondered where exactly 'there' was.


	6. Base Camp

Broken Promises - Part Two by ~GriffinHuntress***Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

**-Part 6: Base Camp**

'There' turned out to be a cave in a cliff face. When the they got there, all three of the resistance climbed off their cycles, and Kairi followed suit. As soon as the blond woman got off her cycle, her clothes flickered and became white again, though she didn't remove her helmet. Of the two remaining people, one was taller than Kairi and the other was about her size.

"So... This your cave?" Kairi asked. The larger of the two people in black laughed and pressed something. The cave flickered and became a white, high-tech-looking hallway.

"Oh. I see."

"Come with me," the blond woman ordered, retracting her helmet and shaking out her short hair. The smaller of the ones in black removed their helmet as well, revealing a slender woman with short raven-coloured hair.

"Come on," the black haired woman argued. "She's not our prisoner; she doesn't have to follow your orders."

The blond woman looked annoyed, but it was clear that the other woman was right.

The other woman smiled at Kairi. "Hello, I guess you must be Kairi, right?"

Kairi nodded, and she continued, "My name's Quorra. This is Wave-" Quorra gestured at the blonde- "And this is-"

The third removed their helmet. A tall man, with silver hair that hid half his face and intense aqua eyes, stood there, one hand on his baton, his smile easy.

Kairi gasped at his face.

"Riku?!"

He blinked, a brief, unreadable expression in his eyes, and his teasing smile vanished. Wave shot him a look and he forced a smile back on his face.

Quorra took Kairi's hand. "Come on, I'll take you down to the command centre." She led Kairi away down the hallway.

* * *

"I can't _do_ this. I didn't realize-" Riku began to Wave, but she shook her head.

"You will, or you'll answer to me. Those are your orders; behave yourself."

"Fine. I'll do it. "

Wave nodded. "Good. Now act normal." She turned to walk away.

* * *

The command center for the resistance's base was a round white room. In the middle of the room was a large round table with chairs around it. Off to the side, examining something intently on a tablet he was holding, was a tall man in red and black robes, red bandages obscuring his features.

He turned as Quorra and Kairi entered the room. "Ah, I see you've returned."

Quorra bowed slightly. "Yes, Master DiZ."

Wave came into the room behind them, and was joined a minute later by Riku, his previous cheerfulness restored, if a bit forced.

Riku flopped into a chair and put his booted feet on the table. "So, where is he? Where's the guy I need to blame for waking me up this early in the morning?"

"Feet off the table." Wave kicked Riku's chair as she walked past, knocking it over, and he fell onto the floor.

DiZ shrugged. "I assume he's still in the communications room. He said to start without him."

"Well, I hope he's not off taking a nap," Riku grumbled as he dusted himself off and righted his chair.

DiZ ignored him and gestured for Kairi to take a seat as he sat down. "My dear Kairi, please, sit. We need to talk."

Kairi sat cautiously and Wave took a seat on the other side of Riku. Quorra went to the door and sealed it, and then took a seat next to them.

DiZ folded his hands together, resting them on the table. "Kairi, do you know why you are here?"

Kairi thought about it. "Well, they saved me from the Games, if that's what you mean-"  
DiZ was already shaking his head. "No, I mean, why you are in the Hollow Bastion OS system."

"I followed the strange black coated figure through that castle, Hollow Bastion, I assume, and there was a bright light and I was here. I thought they might have the paper they stole from me back on the islands, but I never caught up to them." Kairi looked slightly crestfallen.

"Wait, do you mean Destiny Islands?" Riku asked urgently, leaning towards Kairi.

"Um, yeah. That's where I saw the figure first."

Riku looked worried. "That wasn't us. No matter how many times we tried to get through we were unable to get to the islands. It was like Destiny Islands were protected by some sort of barrier."

"The Keyblade Hero's last act," DiZ pondered. "He must have been fueling some sort of shield to protect his home."

"Probably with King Mickey's help," Wave agreed.

Quorra looked wistfully at Kairi. "I wish I could visit your islands. They sound nice..."

"In any case," Riku continued, "they must have broken the barrier so they could get a message through. The problem is... I don't think they were the only ones who made it in. Now Destiny Islands is unprotected from Organization XIII."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. What are you talking about?"

DiZ smiled at Kairi. "I'm sorry, Kairi. I forget you haven't been with us long.  
" You may know that when a person's heart is taken by darkness, they become a Heartless. What's left may become a Nobody. If the person is very strong-willed, their Nobody retains its human form, only slightly altered. The difference is that when a person becomes a Nobody, they can no longer feel any emotions.

"Organization XIII is a group of such powerful Nobodies. They all retain their human forms and have the ability to control other Nobodies. They have been conducting experiments for many years now, attempting to find out about the heart.

"They also have experimented with manipulating memories, and creating Replicas: exact copies of people, built from memories. That was possibly the most dangerous. They were stopped before they created many Replicas, though and both of the attempts have been dealt with."

_Dealt with?_ Kairi looked at Riku. His face was unhappy, and next to him, Wave looked uncomfortable.

DiZ sighed, apparently not noticing their discomfort. "Kairi... We are partly responsible for Sora's long absence. Things did not go according to plan. You see-"

Wave broke in. "They had a girl- she could rewrite Sora's memories- and they made her change them all. When she finally refused... her sketch book was destroyed in the fighting. The book had all of Sora's memories tied to it, and when the pages were scattered, so were his memories. He fell into a coma, and hasn't woken since."

"We thought they would return to his Nobody in the Organization, but they didn't. So many of the memories were tied to special places or things, that they scattered there instead. We have been searching every single world, trying to find where they would have been, so that we could return them to him." DiZ looked at Kairi. "You said you had a page. Can you show it to us?"

Kairi shook her head. "I wish I could now that you've told me, but I can't. A figure in a black coat stole it from me on the islands."  
DiZ slammed his fist down on the table. "The Organization! I knew we should have gone after that boy!" Standing abruptly, he stepped over to a console on the wall and started typing furiously.

Wave lowered her voice. "Kairi, you were the person Sora was closest to. We believe that you will be able to find the pages, or at the very least, the pages will be able to find you. We need your help, or Sora will never wake up. Organization XIII is getting very close to their goal after our attempts have stalled them for three years. We need the Keyblade Hero to defeat them. Kairi, you're our only chance."

"I just want to go home. I've seen the outer world, now I want to go back." Kairi stood, pushing her chair back. "I'm sorry. Can someone please show me the way back?"

"What about Riku?" Wave hissed. "What about him? Isn't he enough to stay?"

Kairi looked at Riku's hand, gently covering Wave's on the table. "No, I think he's happy here with you. If he doesn't want to come back, I'm not going to make him."

Wave noticed Riku's hand on hers and, irritated, shook it off. "Didn't you hear us? We _couldn't_ get back to the islands; they were protected. Besides, we have a responsibility to wake Sora and save the worlds. I- _we, __**promised.**_"

Kairi turned away. "You promised. I didn't."

Quorra hurried up next to Kairi. "I'll show you to your room. You can rest there and think about this for a little while. I know it's a bit much to take in all at once."

"All right." Kairi allowed herself to be led off.

* * *

Riku and Wave stood and walked to the hallway to the communications room. They stopped just out of earshot of DiZ.

Wave turned to Riku, one hand raised as if to hit him. "What are you doing, you idiot?! You may have cost us Kairi!"

Riku flinched. "No matter how many times you insult me, it will not change things."

Wave let her hand fall, frustrated. "It's not real! It can never work!"

He turned away. "I thought you were different, Wave. No, you _were_ different. What changed? Now you're just like the rest of them, selfish and cruel."

Wave turned her back on him. "If that's the way you think it is. I don't care. Words can't hurt me."

"Heartless!"

"Naïve."

They walked off towards their respective rooms, refusing to look back at each other.

* * *

Stopping at the door to her room, Kairi turned to Quorra. "What about you? Why are you here?"

Quorra shrugged. "DiZ saved my life. I've been helping him, hoping that, eventually, Hollow Bastion OS will become free of Clu's control again. He's also been tutoring me. Hollow Bastion has- **had** an enormous library and many of the books were digitized. I spend my time reading when I'm not helping out. There's an amazing amount of things there."

"How did DiZ save your life?" Kairi asked, sitting down on her bed.

Quorra turned away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh..." An awkward silence filled the room.

Wave appeared in the door, arms crossed. "Well, Kairi. What do you think? We should leave soon."

"We can't go to the portal yet," Quorra objected. "Clu's men will still be searching for us. We should wait and leave tomorrow morning."

"I know they are searching for us, but I think it is more important that we get going soon. We're not staying here much longer anyway. There's only a few more pages to find."

"But what about saving the Grid from Clu?"

Wave shrugged. "If he's in my way, I'll deal with him."

Quorra looked at her in shock. "I thought you had a plan this whole time!"

Wave stood in front of Quorra. "Look, we discussed this. The only viable plan DiZ has been able to come up with is re-integration, and how do you think that will work?"

Quorra's face drained of what little color it had. "But he's not- we can't-"

"Exactly."

Wave turned to Kairi. "You have until tomorrow morning." She waved over her shoulder as she left.

Quorra looked shaken. "I thought- They _lied-_ I need to think. See you tomorrow, Kairi." She left Kairi alone.

"See you..." Kairi wasn't sure what she had just seen. Was there fighting within the resistance? She stood and walked to her door.

It hissed open, and Kairi stuck her head out. There wasn't anyone around.

Kairi made her way down to the hallway where they had come in. There was a keypad, but the door simply opened under Kairi's hands.

* * *

She stood outside, under a dark sky of lightning and clouds. Below the cliff she was standing on, black waves attacked the rocks of the cliff face. Looking up, Kairi realized that she missed the stars, now that they weren't there.

"Each is a world, you know."

Kairi spun to see a man sitting on a rock by the entrance. He was dressed in a black hooded coat, and was sitting with one leg dangling and the other drawn up next to him, his black gloved hands clasped on his knee.

"The stars," he explained. "They say each is its own world."

He stood and walked over to stand next to her. "Hello, Kairi. I'm glad you made it this far."

It might have been the kind tone in his voice, or his soft words, but somehow, Kairi wasn't scared of him. His voice made her feel like she had known him all her life.

"I- They want me to help them." The words spilled out of her, unlooked for. "But I'm scared to. I came looking for Riku, not this Sora. I- almost remember him now, but it's far away, like it happened to someone else. I don't _feel_ anything; the memories don't mean anything to me. The hole in my heart is partly filled, but it's not like I thought it was. I thought I cared, but now some of those memories are back, I-" Kairi's voice broke, and she sat, hugging her knees. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"Don't think," the man said simply. "Just follow your heart."

A flat disc landed in her lap. Kairi looked up to see him looking out at the sea.

"If your heart says to leave, then take this disc. It will lead you to a program named Zuse. He was an old friend of ours; perhaps he will help you get to the portal. If you do manage to get to the portal, you will need the access codes."

He dropped a piece of paper onto her lap. "The codes are on this page. Memorize them, then destroy it. They will be imprinted on your disc and make it possible to open the portal."

"Why are you helping me?" Kairi asked, turning the disc over in her hands.

"Why? Because I want you to have a choice. I don't approve of their methods. This will be dangerous; I don't want you to do it if you don't wish to."

"You know," Kairi began, "I never got your name..." She looked up, but the hooded man was gone. He had disappeared while she was speaking.

Was running away even an option? If she made it off the Grid, would she be able to make it back to the Islands? The man had seemed to think so.

Kairi turned the paper over. She read it twice, feeling her disc hum softly, then shredded the paper.

She watched the little pieces spiral down to the ocean. Superimposed over the scene, Kairi saw the pages of a sketchbook spiral away into a dark corridor like the one she had arrived in.

Kairi shook her head, and the images vanished, leaving only a searing headache.

By the time it subsided, Kairi had made up her mind.


	7. Temporary Decisions

***Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

* * *

**-Part 7: Temporary Decisions**

"She's gone!" Wave rushed into the main room the next morning.

DiZ was still there, programming something on his tablet. Next to him, Riku was passed out, snoring, on some blueprints; bolts and various mechanical odds and ends by his head.

At Wave's yell, Riku jerked awake, his right hand jerking out and nearly knocking over his cold coffee cup.

Rubbing his eyes with one arm, Riku grabbed a mug and lifted it to his lips to drink; a collection of pens, pencils, and styluses fell out onto him. Spluttering, he opened his eyes, glaring at the now-empty mug.

DiZ waved a hand, not looking over. "By the way, I moved your mug."

"Yeah, thanks for telling me," Riku muttered.

Quorra came in, looking sleepy. "Whassat?"

"I was... working on something." DiZ swept the bits off the table into his robes.

"Oh." Quorra rubbed her eyes. "Then what's all the yelling?"

"Sorry to interrupt your incredibly important discussion, but _**Kairi's gone.**_" Wave folded her arms.

"Ohhh... _You're_ yelling." Quorra was looking a lot more awake now.

Wave turned on Riku. "This is all your fault!"

Riku looked bemused. "What did I do?"

"Oh you _**know,**_" Wave hissed.

"Actually, I believe I am to blame."

Everyone except DiZ turned around to see a man dressed in a black hooded cloak.

Quorra paled slightly. "You..."

Wave was less apologetic. "Hey, I don't care who you think you are—"

"I'm your only lead," he interrupted smoothly.

"I let Kairi go because I don't agree with your tactics, _Wave._ I've only worked with you, disaster after disaster, because we have common goals. I remind you, we have a time limit and it's rapidly approaching. We need to be finished by then."

"You said we'd be fine if we were on the Grid," Wave accused.

The man turned away, looking out the window. "We have bought ourselves time, nothing more. Nor can he stay like that forever. Outside or on the Grid, soon he will be of no help to you, or anyone else."

"Is that all?" DiZ asked, disinterested. "If you are done with your melodrama, I think we would like know where Kairi is."

"I sent her to Zuse. She will have to use her own ingenuity to escape the system, but Zuse will point her in the right direction."

Quorra and Wave stared at him in shock.

DiZ slammed his tablet down on the table. "Our spy in the Organization has been quiet for far too long and you choose _**now**_/b to play games, Ansem? You may need to rethink your priorities if you plan to keep working with us."

The hooded man, Ansem, gestured lazily. "You say that as if you have a choice to work with me. _**I**_/b choose who I work with. I could just take it and finish the job myself."

Wave bristled. "I'd like to see you try!"

"Don't fight. It's unbecoming." Quorra walked to the window. "We need to work together if we're going to free the Grid."

DiZ stared at the back of Quorra's head. "Quorra, I need you to make a back-up of all the systems."

* * *

"Huh." Kairi stepped off of her light cycle. She had found it on her bed when she had gone back inside, along with a katana baton: a baton that extended into a energy sword, and a clean jumpsuit. Clearly, they had not expected her to run.

Kairi was in a part of town she supposed would be the night life of the city. All around her, clubs' signs brightened the ever-present gloom and pounding music spilled out from doors.

She had to leave the light cycle there; she had no idea how to make it return to baton shape. Kairi regretted it, but she had little choice. Already, passers-by had begun to comment on her hair and vitality.

"A _**user,**_" someone hissed.

"I heard of her," another whispered.

"Wasn't she in the games?" a third commented.

Uncomfortable, Kairi raised her helmet. It stopped the comments on her hair and skin, but the programs still stared at her.

"Hey, are you lost?" a woman's voice asked.

Kairi turned to see the white woman from the games.

"No," Kairi replied, "I'm looking for Zuse."

"A dangerous proposition that. What would a little one like you want with him?"

Kairi retracted her helmet. "I want to get to the portal. _Unseen._"

The woman looked at Kairi closely. "You're the one from the games, aren't you? The one they call a user." She paused. "Very well. I'll help you. Follow me."

She led Kairi to a club, white walls gleaming and floor commanded by a man in a white suit, his white hair slicked back.

Laughing, he caught sight of them and, while gesturing them over, came to meet them. "Ah, Gem! And who is this lovely young lady?"

"Kairi, this is Castor. He runs this club."

"And it's such a pleasure to meet you." Castor took Kairi's hand and bowed over it. "Now, what may I do for you?"

"She wants to see Zuse." Gem lowered her voice. "She's _that_ user."

"I see…" Castor's brow furrowed, then he smiled at Kairi. "Follow me please, Kairi."

Shadowed closely behind by Gem, Kairi trailed after Castor as he made his meandering way around the club's dance floor, greeting various patrons as he did so. Quite a few of them asked to see Zuse, but Castor waved them off.

Stopping at the stairs, Castor called out to the twin DJs: pounding electro-dance music began to play, masking all other sounds.

* * *

Castor stepped out and motioned for his guests to follow him. The door sealed behind him and the music quieted.

"Please, have a seat; anywhere you like." Gesturing around, he sat on a couch and, hesitantly, Kairi sat across from him.

"Now, my dear, I hear you're quite the special little girl: Clu's hunting everywhere for you." Castor tapped his lips with a finger. "Why would that be…?"

"I'm not sure why, myself." Kairi decided to omit the part about being kidnapped by the resistance, and skip straight to her request. "Castor, a... someone told me that Zuse would be able to help me. I need to speak with him and she," Kairi nodded to Gem, "she said you know where he is."

Castor leaned back and opened his arms. "I'm all ears. Tell me how Zuse can help you."

Kairi was hesitant to trust this strange man; she already felt she had gone too far by trusting Gem. "Show me proof Zuse will get my message."

"I _am_ Zuse, girl" Castor stood and walked to the window. "Because of Clu's purge, anyone he felt could be sympathetic to the Keyblade wielders was in danger. I did my part, so I made sure I could settle down and retire in peace as Castor."

"Retire in peace?" Kairi's eyebrow went up.

Castor turned and grinned. "Well, maybe not retire in peace _exactly…_"

"Fine, _Zuse,_" Kairi stressed his name. "I need to reach the portal without getting caught."

"Hmm…." Castor seemed to think about that. "That shouldn't be too hard, but it will cost you something…"

His musings were interrupted by the sound of shattering glass. Kairi stood; Castor and Gem, still standing, were faster.

* * *

The door opened onto chaos. Programs dived behind tables and seats; some brave ones tried to attack, but they were knocked back.

The large glass window that looked out over the city lay on the floor in pieces. A man stood in the centre of the room, flanked by Rinzler and a guard on one side and two grey creatures on the other.

The grey creatures moved with a ghastly boneless grace and they were disturbingly human-like, except for the zippers where their mouths should be and their wedge shaped heads, which were topped with a strange crest. The man wore a by-now-familiar black hooded cloak, its deep hood shading his face.

"Ah, Kairi!" he called out, mock-cheerfully. "We've been looking for you. If you hand over the keyblade hero, the memories you've collected and come with me, we'll be on our way. No need for anyone to get hurt, right?" He clicked his tongue and a gun/crossbow-like weapon materialized in his hand. Moving swiftly, he wrapped his arm around his guard's neck and held the gun to the program's head, one finger on the trigger.

"Just so you know I'm serious." Dropping the guard, he spun his other hand and, with the twin to the gun he held in his right hand, he shot at Kairi's head.

Kairi flinched, but the bolt slammed into the wall above her head and dissipated harmlessly. Gem and Castor edged away from her.

"Don't worry: I won't hurt you. I need you in one piece right now."

"Hey, if you didn't want me to leave, you could have just told me, instead of giving me the disc and letting me run," Kairi said, trying to control her fear. "Just which one are you anyway? Not Quorra or Wave."

He shrugged, making his hood fall back.

"As if, princess. Here's a hint: I'm one of the bad guys."

He had a smirking tanned face. One of his gold eyes was covered with a black eye patch, and a jagged burn scar ran up his cheek; his grey-highlighted black hair was tied back in a long ponytail.

He pointed at Kairi with his Arrowgun. "Dusks, fetch."

The twin grey creatures rushed at her and Kairi stumbled back, landing with an undignified thump.

The man seemed vaguely disappointed. "I thought this would be harder. I'm surprised you got this far, princess."

Kairi tried to scramble away, but the Dusks grabbed her arms and dragged her over, dumping her, face-first, on the floor in front of the man.

He grasped her chin and, lifting her head, made her look at him. "Let's do this again. Hello, Princess Kairi. I'm Xigbar, second member of Organization XIII. Give us what we're looking for and we'll leave you be."

Kairi glared at him. "I don't know what you're looking for and I don't have it."

"Drop her!" A booted foot connected with the back of Xigbar's head with an audible crack. He fell forward and then used the momentum to roll, standing again on the other side of Kairi, swaying slightly on his feet.

"Oh look. Your little friends are here to save you." Xigbar cocked both of his Arrowguns, and Kairi looked to see what he was talking about.

Wave stood in the entrance way, her twin silver katana blazing as she cut down the two Dusks. Riku landed next to Kairi, a similar katana to Wave's held in his hand. It shone brown in the light and Kairi realized it was made of polished wood, designed to stun or break bones, not destroy.

"Give it up, Xigbar! You know we won't give you what you are looking for!" Riku raised his sword hand above his head in a stance that was achingly familiar to Kairi.

"Catch!" Wave called. Something black spun through the air and clattered to the ground next to Kairi.

Grabbing it, Kairi scrambled to her feet; a silver energy katana blazed to life in her hands.

Rinzler threw his disc at her, almost lazily and she barely deflected it, the impact sending her staggering back. Xigbar looked over at Rinzler and Rinzler shrugged, stepping back and gesturing for the guard program to step back as well.

Riku grabbed Kairi and pulled her away, slashing at the Dusks with his other hand. "Hurry, I can't hold them off for long."

His wooden katana had little to no effect on his attackers; indeed, Xigbar seemed to find it amusing, his smirk widening. "Go on; chase us with your _wooden plaything, boy._"

Xigbar snapped his fingers, and two more grey creatures, these ones much larger than the Dusks and armed with hefty crossbows, appeared at his side.

Wave ran forward, her single katana held in a defensive stance. "Snipers! Go; I'll cover your backs."

Riku pushed Kairi back behind him. "Are you sure? You don't have a—"

"I know!" she snapped. "Just get going!" A Dusk lunged at her, and Wave deflected it with her blade, shooting out her foot to kick it across the room. A program ducked to avoid it; Castor looked impressed.

Riku turned back and leaped into the lift; Kairi jumped in after him.

Looking back, Wave saw they were safe. Spinning her blade to hold off the Snipers' shots, she half-turned to join them and a Dusk on the floor reached for her feet.

Wave stumbled and half-fell, half-dove into the lift.

Something, jarred loose, clattered to the ground.

Xigbar smiled, and reaching down, picked Wave's identity disc off the ground.

Riku lunged for the door, but it was too late. The second member of Organization XIII vanished into a dark corridor, and the lift closed on the End of Line club.

Kairi silently passed back Wave's katana and Wave took it without comment, her face tight.

* * *

"When can I see them?" a young man demanded. He appeared to be about Kairi's age, his short hair black, but clearly dyed, the roots growing in a light brown, almost honey color.

The man he was addressing, an imposing man with long blue hair and gold eyes, simply shook his head. "You can see your… _friends…_ later."

"I did what you asked! I stole the paper and brought it to Xigbar in Hollow Bastion; now let me talk to them!" The younger man grasped the bars of his cell, the blue haired recipient of his tirade just outside of his reach.

"I don't know what you've done: the memory previously contained here is gone. Even if it were still here, I can already tell we could not use it. The memory was tainted. We can't use it. The only thing we could do with it is keep it out of their hands."

The younger man smirked a little. "Your own plan came back to bite you, did it? Regret what you did now?"

The blue haired man didn't smile. "You seem to forget. We get what we want, Roxas.

_**"One way or another."**_

* * *

_"Xigbar. Contact Clu. Tell him, I need the files."_ The Superior's voice was always unemotional, but oddly warm… as if he were smiling at something only he understood.

The video link was being relayed through the output on the Grid and uplinked by Hollow Bastion's computer to the main computer at the Castle. Frustratingly, the data on the disc was much too large to be transmitted in such a way.

Because of the method of transmission, the video was distorted with visible scan lines and static, but still, Xigbar didn't understand the Superior's order. He couldn't have misheard, could he? "But, sir, I have—"

_"Don't question me. I need the backup files I hid on the servers."_ He shut off the video link with the same abruptness as his order.

Xigbar began to wonder if something else was going on here. Was the Superior's memory returning after all these years? Though he had entertained doubts for many years about his leader's sanity, this latest evidence made Xigbar uneasy.


	8. Those Gone Ahead and Lost

***Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

* * *

**-Part 8: Those Gone Ahead and Lost**

"Come on. We have to hurry." Riku hit the ground running.

Wave tossed a baton to Kairi, and started running. Both Wave and Riku leaped onto their light cycles; Kairi hesitated a second, then followed suit.

* * *

_Slap._ Clu looked up from the screen he was examining to see a stack of papers land on his desk. "Oh, look. It's you."

"Yes, it's me." The black-coated member of the Organization's voice held a smirk.

"Paper. How… primitive." Clu fingered said papers distastefully.

"Those _papers_ contain the access codes for the Hollow Bastion OS system."

Suddenly, Clu was a great deal more interested in the papers. "To what do I owe the honor of this?"

"The Superior needs files that were hidden on the Hollow Bastion servers."

Clu stopped flipping through the data needed to leave the Grid and stared up at his visitor. "_What?_ How do you know about those files?"

The hooded figure shrugged off his hood, and Clu's eyes widened.

_**"Braig?"**_

Xigbar half-smiled. "As if. Things sure have changed since then."

* * *

DiZ was furious— "How could you?"

"What do you mean, 'how could I'? Why is everything always my fault?!"

—and Riku didn't react well to his criticism.

Riku was only speaking to the base over an audio link, but the audio link served perfectly well to transmit DiZ's tirade.

Wave spoke to Kairi over the helmet link. "Quorra says she and DiZ will meet us at the portal. She also says she's thankful DiZ ordered her to gather a back-up of everything."

Kairi felt like she was being swept out to sea by a tidal wave, but she couldn't see a way out.

"Why are we slowing down?" she asked, as they came to a stop.

"Waiting for someone." Wave's voice was dispassionate, and Kairi wondered if she had any other moods, since all she had heard from the blonde was ice.

A tall man in the black coat of the Organization leaped down and landed, cat-like, in front of them. "Hurry. The portal is this way."

Kairi recognized his voice from earlier, and she grabbed his arm as he passed. His coat slipped and she could feel a thick bandage around his left wrist.

"Hey, wait a sec—"

A current, almost like an electric shock, hit her and she fell back. As her eyes refocused, she saw a white hallway, and a young blond-haired girl, subconsciously identified as Naminé.

Naminé was shaking her head sadly, traces of tears on her face and a large purple bruise on one cheekbone.

"This is my fault. I'll do what I can, but…" She looked over to the right, and Kairi looked over as well. Lying on the floor was a brown haired boy, dressed in red and black and wearing oversized yellow shoes. His chest rose and fell in the soft rhythm of sleep, but otherwise he was unnaturally still.

Naminé's face softened. "I hope his dreams are happy at least…"

"Can he even dream, I wonder…" A younger Riku, dressed in a black and blue suit with blue boots picked himself up off the floor by the wall, a green-yellow bruise above his left eye.

"I'll put him with the other. He'll be safe there." Naminé bent down to pick up the boy and young Riku bent over to help her and nearly fell. Kairi knelt down to assist-

Kairi came back to herself with a splitting headache. No one seemed to have noticed she had been gone. Wave was rubbing her hand as if it had fallen asleep.

_What was that?_

The hooded man she had grabbed had somehow gotten ahead of the group, sprinting towards the tower that marked the portal. Wave and Riku started running, and Kairi followed them.

* * *

"Sir!" A guard program entered Clu's office. "The resistance is at the portal. Should we intercept them?"

Clu sat upright. "Yes. Do not let them leave!"

"Yes sir!" The guard program left, shutting the door behind him.

Clu stood, almost knocking his chair over. First, he had to retrieve the files. That would only take a short while, but he needed to leave before the resistance did. They would surely shut down the portal from the outside, making it impossible to open again.

Xigbar frowned. "They're already at the portal? They move faster than I thought they would." He turned to leave. "I expect the files next time I see you."

"Done. They're ready to be picked up when you leave the Grid."

* * *

Riku tackled Xigbar as he emerged from his dark corridor and knocked him to the floor. "Where is it? Where is the disc?"

Xigbar twisted impossibly and knocked the smaller Riku off of him, rolling to his feet and placing a foot on Riku's chest. He held one of his Arrowguns under Riku's chin. "You tell me where Sora is!"

Kairi looked around: Wave was by the computer banks, feverishly entering commands. The light beam activated, signaling that the portal was live.

The tall hooded man lunged at Xigbar; thrown off balance, Wave's stolen disc clattered to the ground. Xigbar parried with his Arrowgun, and the tall man kicked out at Xigbar's middle.

Grabbing the disc, Riku rolled to his feet to get out of their way, just in time to see Clu jump down from a light flyer above.

"Look out!" Riku called. The taller man stopped, ducking a swing from Xigbar, and turned to look at Riku, then over at Clu.

Rinzler jumped down from above as well, landing cat-like between them and the portal.

Coat flying around him, the hooded man ran at Rinzler, catching him off balance and knocking him aside. He jumped at Clu, and Rinzler at him, just as Clu stepped into the portal. Xigbar leaped in after them.

Rinzler, Xigbar, Clu and their hooded ally vanished into data.

Kairi, Riku and Wave were still staring stunned when DiZ and Quorra arrived a short time later.

"Oh no. What happened?" Quorra stopped short at the looks at their faces.

"They all—they are—they left," was all Kairi could articulate.

DiZ ran to the console by Wave and pulled up footage from Hollow Bastion's camera. "No! Clu is initiating the shutdown protocols!"

That seemed to wake Wave up. "Hurry, we have to get through before they close the portal!"

She stepped into the portal's beam, and Riku stepped up and handed her disc to her.

Wave raised the disc above her head.

"Take my hand!"

Kairi caught Riku's outstretched hand.

As the world went white, Kairi focused on his intense eyes until they vanished as well.


	9. A New World

*******Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

**Author's Note: Interestingly, TRON: Legacy actually ends up being very important here, even though I didn't plan it that way. ^_^ I wrote these parts before Dream Drop Distance came out too.**

* * *

**-Part 9: A New World**

_What am I doing here?_ Kairi opened her eyes to see only white, empty space around her. _Am I dead? Did we not make it through the portal? _

Her feet hit something solid, and bright light blinded her. As her vision returned, Kairi saw a stained glass floor under her, coloured in shades of blue and gold. Though the floor itself was not broken, the image the glass formed was broken, broken into many shards that fit back together into an unrecognizable pattern. She bent down to look at it, and placed her hand on it. It was warm, not cold like she had expected, and she could see the pieces shifting and trying to fit themselves back together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The only constant was an image of herself, eyes closed as if asleep.

_"Kairi?"_

Kairi stood and looked around. "Yeah?" By this point, it would have taken a lot to surprise her.

_"I had wondered if we'd meet again… This wasn't exactly what I expected when I rescued you."_ Kairi felt a wistful smile from the speaker. _"Kairi, you're in a place between worlds right now, as am I, and this is allowing me to speak to your heart. I want you to succeed where I failed._

"Take this. You'll need it."

With a feeling like a warm ocean wave washing over her hand, an oversized key took shape in Kairi's grip.

It was rusted, and not very pretty, a straight iron blade, but it changed in Kairi's hands until she held a clear blue blade, half-visible as it shifted in between shades of the sea. The guard around the handle was like flowing water, translucent water that flowed down and around the shaft and crested into waves around the teeth of the keyblade.

_"It once was my Master's, and it passed to me… Now I pass it to you, Keyblade Princess. You cause it to take on the new form of Oceanlight. Use it wisely._

"I have finished the ceremony long ago begun and awakened your sleeping power. Go!"

"What? But— I'm…"

* * *

"…a Keyblade Princess...?" Kairi's eyes flickered open to see Riku's eyes staring down at her.

"She's awake," he reported, turning away.

"Good," Wave replied tersely, from her post over by the computer, facing away from Kairi. "Riku was worried when you didn't de-digitize immediately."

Kairi pushed herself up to a sitting position against the wall. She flexed her right hand—she could feel something… warm, in her palm—and the keyblade Oceanlight took shape in her grip.

Wave scratched the palm of her hand absently. She stiffened and turned slowly to look at Kairi. "Where did you get that?"

Kairi looked at Oceanlight quietly shimmering in her hand. "It came from someone I met long ago, I think."

A thought struck her, and before Wave could finish questioning her, Kairi interrupted. "Where's Clu? I thought—"

Riku shook his head. "Our transfer tripped a safety failsafe and stopped the shutdown he was initiating, but it slowed the process enough that they were long gone by the time Wave and I came to. It was a particularly difficult transfer and Wave thought you might not have made it."

He sighed. "As it is, we lost our ally. I don't know where he went, but I doubt Clu and Xigbar would have let him go free, and they've erased the logs for the surveillance systems."

Kairi absently tugged at her leg warmer, which had fallen around her ankle. Huh? She looked down and realized her clothes had returned to what she had been wearing before, right down to her soggy socks and sandals.

She looked at her companions.

Wave was wearing a white dress, skirt with sides full for ease of movement, over cream leggings and blue boots. A cream cowl covered her shoulders, large enough to cover her head like a hood if she had wanted it to.

Riku had on a black sleeveless turtleneck shirt, yellow bands around the armholes and bottom hem, and blue cargo pants and black boots. His katana was in a sheath on his back, the strap crossing his chest, and he had a yellow band around his right upper arm and fingerless gloves that reached his elbows.

As soon as Kairi stopped thinking about it, Oceanlight disappeared.

"Come on. Let's go." Wave started walking and gestured for them to follow her.

Riku stood, and Kairi scrambled to her feet.

As she followed Wave through Hollow Bastion's winding corridors, Kairi asked, "Hey, where are we going?"

"To Radiant Garden's main square." Wave pushed open the main door and real light flooded in, blinding the trio.

* * *

Kairi blinked in the sunlight. Looking down, she could see the whole town laid out below, a dirty patchwork of roofs, streets, and greenery, its streets roamed by incongruously colored creatures with the same emblem as the castle: a red and black stylized heart / fleur-de-lis with a barbed 'x' on it. The sun shone, but as Kairi looked up at the sky, it became clear that this was unusual. It quickly was covered by dark clouds again, casting a dismal shadow on the town below.

"Hurry up. We can't stand here all day." With that, Wave began climbing down Hollow Bastion's broken steps, her feet guided by experience. Riku simply leaped from step to step, jumping over the broken parts. With neither practice nor skill in her favor, Kairi had to awkwardly clamber down the walkway behind the pair.

It was harder, she mused, to climb back down than it had been to climb up. In fact… "Hey, isn't there another set of stairs? Like ones that aren't broken?"

Wave stopped for a moment. "If you want to take the long way, then yes, there are. We _are_ in a hurry, however..." Her voice made it more of a threat than a suggestion.

"Okay, okay, we can go this way."

* * *

"Leon, we have guests." Kairi, Riku and Wave were led into the room by a brunette woman in pink whose name was Aerith, or so Kairi had been told.

The man in question, a scar running crosswise across his nose and his shaggy brown hair in his eyes, was sitting in a chair holding out his arm. Another younger woman, one eye closed and black bangs falling over the other, her tongue stuck out in concentration, was wrapping his arm in bandages.

The man looked up. "Aerith? What are—" His eyes widened.

"You!" He stood abruptly, pulling the bandages out of the woman's hands, and grabbed Riku's shoulders. "How dare you show your face here again? It's been _three years!_ You said you'd come back and help! What have you been doing? You need to leave now or you'll lead the Heartless right to us with your _keyblade!_" He spat the word as if it were acid.

Riku deftly slipped out of his grip. "Leon, we realize you are angry—"

"_**Three years, Riku!**_ Don't patronize me! You betrayed my trust! How am I supposed to believe you now?" Leon spun around, the black-haired woman chasing the trailing ends of his bandage.

"Stop moving! I need to bandage your arm!"

"Leave it, Yuffie. It's waited this long, it can wait a little longer," Aerith told her quietly.

"If you won't trust us, perhaps you'll trust your own Princess." Wave pushed Kairi forward like a sacrifice.

"Our Princess vanished twelve years ago along with our ruler." Yuffie's eyes turned hard. "Radiant Garden has no leader, except for Leon. They _abandoned_ us! No, worse, our ruler brought the Heartless down on us!"

"Wave," Kairi hissed over her shoulder, "what are you doing? I'm no Princess. I'm just a girl from Destiny Islands."

Aerith gripped Kairi's wrist with surprising force and spoke softly. "I can feel your pure heart. You _are_ a Princess, _whether you think so or not._ I agreed to bring you here because we need help."

Her eyes flicked to Wave then back to Kairi, speaking louder. "Kairi, do you remember me?"

"I don't know… Should I?"

Her grip on Kairi's wrist loosened, and Aerith's eyes filled with sadness. "Probably not. Last time I saw you, you were only so high." She lowered her hand to below her waist. "I remember _you_ though. Always so bright and happy. I missed you when you vanished. It made the castle that much darker."

Leon and Yuffie did not look pleased at Aerith's confirmation that Kairi was indeed Radiant Garden's Princess.

"I don't care—" Leon began—

"Hey, what's all this yellin' about?" Using crutches, a brawny blond man limped into the room, his knee bandaged. Catching sight of Riku, his face darkened and he waved one crutch at him. "You! Whatever happened to you? You left!"

"Please, could we just all calm down—" Kairi waved her hands helplessly, not actually expecting anyone to listen.

"Calm down? Calm down?!" The man's face turned red and he looked like he was about to explode, but a small duck in a green shirt and cap ran into the room.

"Oh, help! The Heartless have got Hewie and Dewy!"

Who Hewie and Dewy were, Kairi had no idea, but Leon and Yuffie reacted swiftly.

"We'll deal with _you_ later." Leon stood, and Yuffie quickly tied the trailing edges of his bandage.

She hefted two oversized throwing stars, Leon held in one hand a large sword that appeared to double as a gun, Aerith collected some bandages into a bag and gripped a long staff, and all three rushed out the door, closely followed by the duck. The blond man settled into a chair and pulled up a view of them on his computer's screen.

Riku gestured for Wave to follow him. "Kairi, stay behind us."

Kairi reluctantly did so.

Running out onto the main square, Leon began shooting at the assembled black creatures and the Shadows fled, leaving a small group of purple armored Soldiers in a tight circle. Between the Soldiers, glimpses of red and blue ducks could be seen: Hewie and Dewy. Both seemed scared but otherwise unharmed.

Yuffie stepped into the square and instantly the Shadows began to re-congeal, forming out of black, oily puddles. She started running forward and suddenly _she_ was the center of a new circle.

"Stay back!" Yuffie cried, halting only long enough to remove her shuriken from her back and then plowing into the gathered Shadows.

Even Aerith waded into the fray, striking left and right in the mass of Shadows, who sensing fresh hearts, were regrouping around the trio. They seemed to be calling all their friends, as more Heartless joined them to catch the three.

Riku jumped in and started fighting over to the captured ducks. Leaping up to a higher vantage point, Wave shot blasts of ice and thunder alternatively at the Soldiers.  
Kairi watched, helpless and weaponless, as the four made their separate ways towards the captives.

Yuffie was the first to go down, then Leon. Hampered by his injury, Leon was unable to stop the Heartless from swarming Yuffie, and then himself. Aerith spun in circles, her staff laying huge swaths of Shadows low, but she was unable to get any closer to Hewie and Louie. Riku was a short distance away from Aerith, but no matter how many Heartless he knocked aside, they kept re-forming and preventing him from moving forward.

Kairi gently stroked the green duck's head; he was clinging to her legs.

"They'll be fine."

She said it as much for her benefit as his.

Suddenly a stray ball of ice ricocheted out of the mess and, instinctively, Oceanlight appeared in Kairi's hands and deflected it.

She gripped Oceanlight tightly. _That's right. I'm not defenseless anymore. I can help._

"Stay here," she told her duck, then she called up to Wave. "Keep him safe!"

Wave looked down absently and back up; Kairi took that as an affirmative and plunged into the fray.

The Shadows dissipated as Oceanlight hit them, but Kairi couldn't be everywhere at once. She had to make a choice: save Leon and Yuffie or Hewie and Dewy.

_I'm sorry!_

Kairi raced towards the ring of Soldiers who were trying to scuttle off with their quarry. Her keyblade met more resistance with the Soldiers as they fought back, but she destroyed them with little more effort than the Shadows. Spying Hewie and Dewy, Kairi dropped Oceanlight and scooped both of them up.

Behind her, something began forming with a clatter. To Kairi's right, someone hit the ground with a crash like splintering glass.

A blast of icy wind swept over Kairi, driving the Shadows back and chilling her to the bone.

Looking, Kairi saw Wave in the center of a frosted crater, snow whirling around her from her feet to her upraised hand in lacy spirals. A glittering blade took shape in Wave's hand, sharp and hard, and translucent silvery blue armor formed, the helmet covering her hair and the sides sweeping back into two wings.

Wave pointed the silver blade at Kairi and spoke something inaudible.

Kairi dived and, as she hit the ground, realized that Wave had not been aiming at her, but above her head, at something behind her.

She turned her head and saw Wave's attack hit a giant Guard Armor, its helmet and gauntlets wickedly sharp and dangerous looking. The Guard Armor staggered back, Wave's hit clearly hurting it.

Riku ran up, his katana held tightly in one hand, and looked over at Wave. Wave threw her blade. It morphed into hundreds of glittering shards that flew at the Guard Armor as Riku knelt, slamming his katana into the ground. Cracks ran through the pavement, radiating out from him, and raced towards the Heartless.

As it staggered, both Wave and Riku looked at Kairi. She stood shakily and Oceanlight appeared in her hand.

_I can do this._

"Tidal Wave!" And power rushed through Kairi. She could feel it inside herself, not as strong as it could be, like a skill that hasn't been used often, but it was there.  
The Guard Armor vanished under a miniature tidal wave. The remainder of the Heartless melted into the cracks in the pavement, destroyed.

Leon and Yuffie stood, as if surprised they were still alive. Aerith stopped, her expression shocked. Wave collapsed onto one knee, panting and Riku stumbled to his feet. Kairi nearly fell on Hewie and Dewy from relief.

"Good show! I wish I had brought popcorn." The man's voice and the sound of his clapping echoed through the square dryly.

"We are so very pleased to see your progress. May you progress even farther," another added, his voice even and calm.

They spun to see three cloaked figures standing on the edge of the square.

The third tilted his head and his voice was familiar; it held a hint of a derisive smile. "Your style reminds me of someone I once knew! I hope you have better luck than she did in your quest in finding him."

"What are you talking about?" Kairi yelled, in no mood for games. "Give back what you stole, you thieves!"

"Thieves? Us? Never." The first folded his arms.

"We're only taking what belongs to our own," the third added.

"It's time to go. Unless the Princess has something she'd like to hand over…?" the second asked, inexpressive.

"Never!" Wave stood, trembling a little. "We'll never give into your demands!"

"As if. He asked the Princess, not _you._" The third man flicked his wrist, and a purple bolt flew straight at Wave. It would have hit her if she hadn't scrambled away, nearly falling in the process.

He turned towards Kairi and, under his hood, he smiled maliciously. "We'll be waiting."  
"Oh, and go gather some more hearts for us, that's a good girl," he added condescendingly.  
Then he vanished, and the others vanished as well.

* * *

"Prisoner 143 is remarkably stubborn." The second man shrugged off his hood as he walked with the first down the grey hallways, revealing blue hair and yellow eyes. His face remained hard, but his voice expressed distaste at having to deal with such common tasks as interrogating prisoners.

"I'm sure you can deal with him, Saïx," the third man said dryly as he jumped down from his hiding place above the pair; his hood fell back to reveal a smirking face that Kairi would have recognized instantly.

"Was that whole show in Hollow Bastion really necessary, Xigbar?" the first man asked, sounding slightly irritated.

As his hood fell back, his limp red hair came out of its loose ponytail and fell around his face, highlighting the burn scars that ran from his bleached green eyes to his temples. He walked a bit slower and a little behind his original companion, as if unsure whether or not he would run into some steps or a wall at some inconvenient time.

Xigbar shrugged, and Saïx used that moment to regain control of the conversation. "As I was saying, prisoner 143 is proving to be unmanageable. However, progress with the Project is moving ahead with much better results. Xigbar, I want you to retrain him."

"All right, if you insist."

"I still don't think this is a good idea," the red haired man protested. "He's too unpredictable, and dangerous. Remember—"

"You will know your place, Axel!" Saïx warned him. "Since your failure in Castle Oblivion, you are the lowest member; do not make me expel you."

"Don't you mean, ask _the Superior_ to expel me? Or is he not in charge anymore?" Axel asked snidely over his shoulder as he walked off before Saïx could reprimand him again.


	10. Acceptance

*******Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

* * *

**-Part 10: Acceptance**

Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Kairi, Riku, Wave and the three ducks stumbled back into the group's hideout.

The blond man was waiting for them. "You aren't dead!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Cid." Yuffie collapsed into a spare chair. Everyone else gratefully fell onto chairs and couches, or, like in the case of Hewie, Dewie and Louie, the floor.

After a minute, Aerith stood and began checking the ducks for injuries, then, as they proved to be fine, moved on to Yuffie and Leon. They both had minor scrapes and cuts, but were otherwise unharmed. Wave and Riku waved Aerith away; they were just tired, they told her.

Aerith walked to Kairi, who was slumped against the wall, and knelt down next to her. Kairi had myriad small cuts from heedlessly running through the Heartless and scrapes on her hands, elbows and knees from her headlong dive into the pavement.

Aerith began bandaging Kairi's hands, then stopped. The cuts on Kairi's legs and arms were healing themselves, and even the larger scrapes on her knees and elbows were scabbing over faster than usual. Kairi's head fell back, exhausted, and the process halted before her palms, knees and elbows were fully healed.

_She must be doing it unconsciously,_ Aerith thought. She didn't say anything, but Aerith made a note to speak to Kairi before she left.

Leon stood stiffly. "We can speak again tomorrow. You can stay here, if you would like."  
Wave nodded. "That is very kind of you. Thank you."

"Cid, do we have any spare rooms?" Leon asked.

The blond man thought for a moment. "Yeah, Riku can share the attic with Merlin and we have a spare room for each of the ladies."

"Follow me." And with less than her usual exuberance, Yuffie led the way up the stairs.

The next morning, as Kairi came down the stairs in borrowed flannel pajamas and bathrobe that were much too large for her, Leon was rummaging around in the bookshelf.

"Go make yourself comfortable at the kitchen table. Cid's making breakfast."

Riku stumbled down about ten minutes later to find Kairi happily making scrambled eggs, while Cid looked on in annoyance as he waited for his pot of oatmeal to cook. Two large owls joined them at the kitchen table, the blue one quickly resolving itself into a white-haired and –bearded man in blue robe and hat, who, while arguing with the other owl, began spreading butter on his beard, rather than his toast.

Wave and Yuffie came down after the owls, looking irritatingly well-rested and, the case of Yuffie, cheery.

Aerith wandered downstairs and fell asleep with her head on the table like Riku, who _did not_ look well-rested at all.

Kairi absently wondered if Merlin, (for who else could the bearded man be?), had kept Riku up all night. Finishing the scrambled eggs, Kairi set the bowl on the table, and Cid dropped his stewpot of oatmeal next to it, shaking the table.

That woke Aerith up, who called to the other room, "Leon, it's breakfast time!"  
"Coming." Leon came back into the room carrying a large book with several bookmarks sticking out of it. He set the book on the floor next to him, and for several minutes, there was silence as everyone ate.

Leon broke the silence first. "We want to apologize for the way we behaved yesterday. You three risked your lives for us when you did not have to, and for that we are grateful—"  
"He means," Yuffie interrupted, "that we want to give you something. To thank you." She picked up the book and pulled out the bookmarks. She gave one to each of them, and Kairi could see they were proof-of-membership IDs, with each of their names carefully lettered in Aerith's handwriting on them below the words, 'Honorary Member of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee'.

Aerith pulled a fourth out of her pocket, and handed it to Kairi. "This is for Sora, to thank him for giving us this chance. Give it to him when you get the chance, will you?"  
As Kairi reached for the tag, their eyes met, and, as soon as Kairi took hold of the member tag, the world faded out around her.

**"W-Where am I?"**

The voice was a boy's, perhaps 14 or 15.

Kairi stood. She was in a dark alleyway, and as she walked out into the main square, a large yellow dog joined her.

_"You're in Traverse Town, kid," Cid said from behind the counter. "A place for those who've lost their homes."_

Disappointment flooded Kairi and the boy spoke again. **"So… my islands? My friends?"**

_"Probably gone." Cid's face softened. "Hey, it'll be okay. Your friends will probably show up here, so I'll keep an eye out for 'em, alright?"_

Kairi nodded.** "Alright."**

_"Hey, kid. Can you fight?" The brown haired boy turned to see Leon, standing there looking younger and less tired, with his gunblade slung over his shoulder._

**"Um…"**

**"Kairi?"**

_Kairi had the shock of seeing a younger version of herself standing over her._

_"What? No, silly. I'm Yuffie!" Kairi resolved into Yuffie's perplexed face. Behind her stood Leon, looking as taciturn as before._

_"My dear boy, come over here." Merlin patted a chair. "Oh, shoo, you coffee pot! No, he does not want coffee at this time of the day."_

**"I don't like coffee at all, actually,"**_ the boy said. Behind Kairi, Donald, a white duck in blue robes, and Goofy, a black dog in armor, were poking around in the wandering furniture._

_"There, you see? No one wants coffee," Merlin informed the pot._

"_**I**__ do!" Donald quacked, and the coffee pot came over and thoroughly doused him in the stuff. Goofy giggled until Donald turned a hard stare on him._

Aerith's eyes were still watching Kairi, as if she knew what Kairi had seen, but she didn't say anything. No one else had noticed Kairi's brief absence.

Riku was speaking. "Leon, we need the Gummi ship."

Leon shrugged. "I don't know if we have enough Gummi bricks for Cid to build a Gummi ship. You'd be better off asking Queen Minnie at Disney Castle."

Cid agreed. "He's right. I don't have the Gummi bricks."

Wave seemed to think about that. "Riku will stay here. Kairi and I will go to Disney Castle together."

"You'll need supplies." Aerith picked up a pack that was sitting by the wall, and began placing some glowing green and blue containers in it, as well as some food, two thermos bottles and two blankets. Looking at it, she picked up another pack and began sorting the supplies out evenly.

"Thank you, but I can't accept—" Kairi began, but Aerith raised her hand.

"Don't worry. We want to help."

Ten minutes later, Wave and Kairi had a pack each, were dressed for travel, and were standing in the main square. Aerith pulled Kairi aside.

"Kairi... Be careful."

Kairi was mystified. "What? Of course."

Aerith sighed. "No, that isn't what I meant. Look." She grabbed Kairi's wrist. Kairi almost jerked her hand away, but then she saw green energy spiraling away from her hand and focusing on a cut on Aerith's arm.

Aerith let go and it stopped. "See? Please be careful. You are a very strong Healer, and you have a caring heart. Together, you Heal people without meaning to.

"If you could only stay longer…" Aerith shook her head.

Wave gestured for them to join her. "Come on!" Kairi trotted over to stand next to her, and Wave tossed a silver wrist band to her.

"What is—"

"I found it in… Well, let's just say I found it. Do what I do." Touching the band on her upper arm, Wave raised one hand above her head, and her silver keyblade appeared in her hand. Icy wind whirled in a spiral from her feet up to her hand, made visible by glittering snow it carried. As the snow faded, the silvery blue armor that Kairi had seen the day before formed around Wave, this time completely encasing her from head to foot. Wave threw her keyblade, and it took the shape of a glider. She landed gracefully on it, and hovered about half a meter off the ground.

Wave gestured for Kairi to do the same.

Slipping the wrist band over her wrist, Kairi touched the blue oval in its center. Light, and the sound of the ocean, enveloped her, and when she could see again, her hands were sheathed in light aquamarine armor, similar to Wave's and she was looking at the world through the semi-transparent visor of a helmet. Kairi could feel Oceanlight's reassuring weight in her hand, and following an impulse, threw it into the air and jumped, trusting that she would land on her new glider.


	11. Under Siege

*******Kingdom Hearts and related characters belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me, etc. Please rate and review!***

**Author's note: This chapter got rewritten quite a bit, since it was originally meant to be a short "mystery"-style chapter. Turns out I'm horrible at writing mysteries. X_X I don't really like the Disney worlds, so we'll speed through them as fast as possible. Hope you don't mind. :)**

* * *

**-Part 11: Under Siege**

"Quick! Inside, hurry!"

Kairi tumbled through a gap in the massive doors which were quickly shut again behind her. Wave stood, dusting herself off.

As soon as they had landed, Kairi and Wave had been swarmed by Heartless. If possible, there had been more Heartless than in Hollow Bastion. They had only been saved by a timely barrage from a cannon mounted on one of Disney Castle's turrets.

A white duck in purple robes, a matching bow on her head, and a black mouse in subdued rose robes, the thin gold coronet on her brow clearly marking her as royalty, met them on the other side of the door.

Wave bowed gracefully. "Queen Minnie, Daisy, we have come to ask your assistance."

"Who are you and how do you know our names?" the duck said suspiciously, holding her staff like she knew how to use it.

"I've met your husband, your highness." Wave addressed Queen Minnie, ignoring Daisy completely.

"You've met Mickey?" Queen Minnie waved her hand. "Daisy, stand down."

Daisy reluctantly lowered her staff.

Minnie looked at Kairi and Wave. "Follow us. Watch out for the Heartless."

As Daisy and Minnie led them, Minnie explained, "The library and the throne room are the only places we can keep safe from them now."

* * *

"Is anyone else here?" Kairi asked as they climbed over the barricade in front of the library doors.

Daisy sighed. "No, we sent most to a safe place. Oh, here's our chief engineer now."

A tired duck, grey hair sticking out from under his top hat, clambered down a ladder from a weapons emplacement, bowing when he reached the ground. "Scrooge McDuck, at yer service." He had a thick brogue, making it a bit difficult to understand him.

"Hello, Scrooge. How are the cannons holding up?"

"Och, well enough. What we need is-Who are these people, if you pardon my bluntness, yer highness?"

"They've met Mickey and they've come to ask our help."

Scrooge bowed again. "Disney Castle's Acting Chief Engineer at yer service."

Minnie looked over from where she was flipping through papers on the desk. "Acting? Didn't I make you official chief engineer three months ago?"

"No, ma'am. There was that incident-"

"Oh yes, I remember now. Consider yourself promoted."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Your highness, could we please-" Wave started, but Minnie cut her off.

"Please, don't be so formal. Call me Minnie." Minnie sat down in a chair beside the desk, carefully avoiding Mickey's chair. "Truth is, we desperately need your help. I'm afraid even questions about my husband will have to wait."

"What do you need our help with… ma'am?" Kairi felt uncomfortable simply referring to the queen as 'Minnie', so she followed Scrooge's example.

Minnie sighed. "If you could see Disney Castle before Mickey left… Princess Kairi, you'd know. We're under siege. You noticed the Heartless?"

"Yes," Wave answered. "What are they doing here? I thought Disney Castle was safe from them."

"It's a bit of a story, but...

"There's a "Keystone" that protects this Castle. Mickey found it, oh many, many years ago. Anyway, during our celebration of Mickey's birthday a short while ago, a swarm of Heartless attacked. I ordered everyone into the castle for safety's sake, assuming the Keystone would keep us safe. The attacker must have used that to their advantage, because I was awakened the next morning to the sound of barking. When I ran to discover what the noise was, I discovered the Keystone was missing from its pedestal and the Heartless were already invading."

"Did you ever discover where the barking was coming from?" Wave asked.

Minnie sighed. "It was Pluto's bark, I'm sure... But I couldn't find him. He must have scared off the intruder and left for some reason... Maybe to find Mickey?"

Suddenly, barking echoed through the halls.

Minnie put her hand to her lips. "That's Pluto's warning bark! He must be back! But something's wrong. There's an intruder!"

Wave frowned. "Ma'am, let us take care of it."

"Oh, you don't have to do that! I'm sure the intruder is the one who brought the Heartless, and they'll most certainly have strong ones with them. We can do it ourselves." Minnie's face was much less sure than her words, but Daisy nodded. Scrooge readied a cannon he lugged out from behind the desk.

"We can handle them," Wave told her confidently.

"We each have a keyblade," Kairi explained.

Queen Minnie's eyes lit up. "You do? That's wonderful news!"

Kairi cocked her head. "Don't you?"

Minnie shook her head sadly. "No, Mickey did. He helped keep the Castle safe." She blushed. "Oh… I mean he _has_ a keyblade."

Kairi didn't say anything, but she thought she saw the queen's eyes fill with tears. She cautiously put her hand on Queen Minnie's shoulder to comfort her.

Minnie looked up at her gratefully and sniffed. "Well, come on! What are we waiting for?"

* * *

Queen Minnie had not exaggerated the number of Heartless they met as they progressed towards their goal. Kairi found herself fighting off Heartless every step she took. Minnie had a small buckler, but her main defense was a magical shield she formed around herself. Heartless who touched the barrier were immediately either stunned or jolted and quickly fled.

"Queen Minnie, how did you know my name?" Kairi asked, during a short respite.

"I recognized you as Kairi as soon as you showed up, from Jiminy's description of you. My husband talked about you, so I knew you were from Radiant Garden. He also said you were the sweetest little girl he had ever met. 'She'll grow up to be somethin' special, I just know it.' Those were his words."

She turned piercing eyes on Wave. "And I don't know who you are, but I can tell you're someone special too."

Wave visibly flinched at her gaze. "No, I'm nobody."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. It's not always your fault, you know."

"How do you know?" Wave said quietly, and Minnie smiled.

"I can tell from your face."

Kairi was mystified by the conversation, but before she could figure out what they were speaking about, there were more Heartless and then they were there, before the massive throne room doors.

Queen Minnie pushed open a small door in the throne room doors and the trio ran in.

The throne room was dark and musty. The throne at the far end was huge, but looked like nobody had sat in it for years. Paw prints left dog tracks in the dust with the tracks of two pairs of light, heeled shoes and big round blotches. Surprisingly, there were no Heartless.

"Pete! I should have known it was you!" Minnie scolded.

Pete, who was shrinking back against the wall, pointed at the yellow dog barking at him. "Uh, Queen Minnie, call off Pluto!"

Pluto growled at Pete one last time, then, wagging his tail, jumped onto Minnie.

"Pluto! It is you! Where's Mickey?" Rubbing Pluto's ears, Minnie looked around hopefully, but Pluto's head drooped. She patted him.

"You haven't found him yet, huh?" Minnie glared at Pete. "I see you. Don't move."

Pete had been trying to use the distraction to sneak away on tip-toe. He froze at the queen's command. "Uh, yes, ma'am."

Minnie frowned at him and he shrunk away from her.

"Pete, I let you come back to celebrate Mickey's birthday against my better judgement. What mischief are you up to?"

Pete seemed to realize that he was cowering from a female mouse half his size and stood up straighter. "I don't have to answer you!" He glanced around, then pointed at a trio of Shadow Heartless standing uncomfortably just outside the throne room door. "Go, my minions! Attack!"

The Heartless looked at each other, then one tapped the air in front of it like it was glass. There was a golden spark and the Heartless was thrown backwards.

Pete looked uncomfortable. "Oops. See ya!" He turned to run, but tripped, falling flat on his face.

Wave placed her keyblade on his neck and Minnie, every bit a queen, walked around to stand in front of him.

"Answer the question, Pete. What are you doing here?"

"I'm workin' for Maleficent to steal the Keystone- please don't hurt me!" Pete blubbered.

Minnie shot Wave a look. Wave shook her head, but removed her keyblade.

"We wouldn't hurt you. Even though you are shameless." Minnie sighed. "Pete, why would you work for Maleficent? You weren't always this bad. What does she want it for?"

"You imbecile. Must I do everything myself?" Minnie, Kairi, Wave and Daisy spun at the woman's voice. Standing by the trio of Heartless was a tall, sickly-green skinned woman. She touched the barrier like the Heartless had, the same golden spark causing her to jerk her hand back. Behind her, a dark corridor was open, yawning like some dark cavern.

"If I could get in there..." the woman seethed, shaking feeling back into her hand.

"Maleficent!" Pete exclaimed, and, while Minnie was distracted, ran to the corridor.

Maleficent ignored him, instead staring at Minnie. "Where's your husband?"

"I don't know," Minnie admitted quietly.

Maleficent seemed genuinely surprised. "You mean he isn't here? I suppose that's why it was so easy for that bumbling fool to take the Keystone. If only he had managed to hang onto it. A pity." She waved and stepped into the corridor.

"'Hang onto it'?" Daisy called, but Maleficent was gone, taking Pete with her.

_If Maleficent doesn't have the Keystone, where is it?_ Kairi wondered.

As if reading her thoughts, Pluto barked and ran over to a dark corner, the one closest to the library. He whined and scratched at a small hole, half covered by drapes.

"What is it?" Getting down on her hands and knees, Kairi peered at the hole. "It looks like a small creature's hole."

"Maybe it's a Heartless's hole," Wave offered pessimistically.

Minnie sighed and shook her head at Wave. "Pluto, we've already looked in here. We need to get back to Daisy and Scrooge. They'll be wondering where we are."

Pluto shook his head and whined.

"I'm going to check it out." Kairi examined the hole. "I think I can fit in there."

"What if you get stuck?" Wave asked, folding her arms. "What then?"

"Well, you'll just have to come in and get me out."

Wave muttered something that sounded like, I don't like small spaces. Kairi ignored her and crawled into the hole.

It was small, and dark too, and just as Kairi was getting worried about turning around if it turned out to not lead anywhere, she saw something.

"There's something glowing up ahead."

The tunnel widened a bit and Kairi saw a glowing orb, looking like a large marble, resting against the wooden back of a bookshelf. She carefully rolled it towards herself. The Keystone made her fingers tingle as she touched its smooth surface. It was faintly warm, and big enough that she would have had to hold it with both hands.

* * *

"I hope she hasn't gotten herself stuck." Wave paced the hall, watching for a Heartless attack.

A scuffling noise came from the tunnel, and out came Kairi, feet-first, dirty and disheveled.

"Did you find the Keystone?" asked Minnie.

Turning, Kairi grinned. In her hands, she held a large glowing sphere. "Is this it?"

Minnie took it from her carefully. "Yes, _oh, yes!_ Quickly, let's put it back."

* * *

As the Keystone was returned to its pedestal, it glowed brighter and flashed, sending out a wave of light that knocked all the Heartless down. Those who weren't instantly vaporized, fled.

Queen Minnie smiled, a little sadly, then looked down to pet Pluto. "Thank you- Where's Pluto gone?'

A search turned up nothing and no one. Minnie sighed. "I guess he's still searching for the King."

* * *

"Of course you may borrow a gummi ship. And you're sure there's isn't anything, anything at all, we can do for you?" Queen Minnie asked as Daisy gathered together some papers and charts and handed them to Kairi.

"Actually, there is one thing. We're looking for pages of a bound notebook. Is it possible you might have any?" Kairi said, carefully folding the papers and putting them in her rucksack.

"No, I'm afraid not... I assume they have some connection to the keyblade hero?" Minnie smiled. "We've heard the rumors, even here. No, the only thing I can give you is something to guide you on your way." She opened a locked drawer in the library desk, and pulled out a faintly glowing green and blue star. "This was Mickey's, given to him by his master, a long, long time ago. I think he would want you to have it. This Star Shard used to be a way to traverse between worlds, but its power was used up a long time ago."

Kairi took it, and as her hand touched it, her other hand happened to brush Wave's.

_"Hey, remember what I told you!" Mickey called._

Riku watched her from the other side of a large door. He pushed on it, closing it almost all the way. "We'll meet again. Take care of Kairi for me."

_**"I will,"**__ the boy said in reply._

The door closed, and Kairi was alone, with only Donald and Goofy for company.

**Kairi, I need you.** _Find Sora! __**Break the lies that bind us.**_

Kairi stumbled back, nearly dropping the Star Shard, and fell to her knees. In Wave's hand there was now a sheaf of colored pages, edges ragged as if torn violently from a book.

Wave flipped through the pages. "Traverse Town, Destiny Islands, The End Of The World... Those worlds are all here and some other pages as well... Kairi, what did you do?"

On all fours, Kairi listlessly wondered if it would be impolite to throw up her last meal in front of a queen.

"I dunno, but it feels awful... Ugh..."

Her arms gave out and Kairi fell into a deep sleep on the marble floor.


	12. The Place Where The Sun Sets

**A.N.: I like these next two chapters. It's when... ****_things... _****start really happening. There's a few quotes from KH and KH2 scattered throughout in order to tie them together. Sorta like allusions, I guess. I dunno.**

***KH stlil doesn't belong to me.***

* * *

**-Part 12: The Place Where the Sun Sets**

"No!"

The young man woke to find himself tangled in his blanket. Sitting up, he looked around in a panic. Unable to recognize anything, he buried his head in his hands, hiding behind his black bangs.

_Where is this? What am I doing here?_

Who am I?

"I'm glad you are awake. We've been waiting so very long for you to come back to us. There was a terrible accident, but you're safe now." The male voice was quiet, yet it had an unyielding quality to it.

The young man looked up. The voice's owner, face hidden by a hooded cloak, stood by the door.

"Safe... Now...?" Something was pressing on his mind, making it hard to think.

The man smiled and his gold eyes seemed to bore into the younger man.

"We wouldn't want any unpleasant episodes, would we? So, you will follow my orders."

The young man gave in to the pressure and his blue eyes unfocused, filling with silver. "I will follow your orders..."

* * *

Coding complete, Saïx closed the console window. He stepped away from the computer and removed a black disc from it. "It works well... We must thank our prisoner for bringing it to us." He frowned. "Indeed, perhaps it could help us with the Replica. If only the data from the project had outlived its maker."

The other man, his black and blue hair falling over his eyes, tossed a floppy disk to Saïx. "You mean this?"

Still frowning, Saïx turned to the computer and inserted the floppy. He stiffened and turned back around.

"I must applaud your ingenuity in copying Vexen's work, Zexion. While his Replica Project may have been a failure, this data on the Replica itself may prove useful in eliminating its resistance."

Zexion shrugged. "Perhaps it could also help us with the Keyblade Hero."

"We would need them here..." Saïx's eyes flashed. "Yes, this could work to our advantage."  
He turned and barked out the order. "Step up the search. Start preparing to send someone to C.O. We'll have to deal with that…_traitor._"

"I have a better idea," Zexion interrupted. "Why not test him out? That way, we can draw out the traitor."

"Hmm... Very well. You will be in charge then."

* * *

_Kairi yawned and stretched. Lying back down, she was startled to see a blond girl standing over her._

She bolted back upright, and the girl laughed. "Sora, you lazy bum. I knew I'd find you snoozing down here."

Suddenly, the scene shifted, and she was looking down into the brown sleeping face of a boy. He yawned and stretched.

He lay down, and blinking at her, shot right back up again. **"Whoa! Kairi!"**

She laughed. "Sora, you lazy bum! I knew I'd find you snoozing down here."

The boy... Sora?... desperately tried to deny it. **"No, no, no! I had this dream, and there was this big black thing and...!"**

"Hey." Both turned to see Riku, a large log in one hand. "Stop goofing off. Why am I the only working on the raft?"

As he passed Sora, he tossed the log on him, and Sora went down, limbs flailing.

"And, you, you're just as bad as he is."

Kairi giggled coyly. "So you noticed."

The scene changed again, this time to a strange purple and pink space.

_"I need it to wake Kairi!" Riku glared at her. In one hand, he held the hand of the limp form of a small boy puppet. Heartless surrounded him._

She shook her head, and... was that Sora's voice...? responded. _**"Riku, this isn't the way to do it. Listen to your heart- is this what she would've wanted?"**_

Hearing her own name broke the dream state she was in. Since _she_ was Kairi, whose point of view was this? Was it-

_Kairi..._ **Kairi...! **

_"Kairi!"_

"Mmm..." Opening her eyes, Kairi quickly closed them again against the bright sunlight shining through the window in her room in Radiant Garden.

_Wait, Radiant Garden? How...?_

"Oh, good, you're awake." Wave put down the towels she was holding. "You were out a long time. Had a nice nap, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that..." What had she been dreaming about? Kairi couldn't remember, but she had a feeling it could be important.

"Get ready to go. Everything else is packed in the gummi ship already."

* * *

"We're going to fly... in that thing?" Kairi stared at the beat-up red ship in dismay, her small backpack slung over her shoulder.

"The Highwind will fly fine. Cid checked her out, and despite being a bit old, she's fine!" Riku patted the ship, and a bit fell off. "Oops."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't do any warping or fancy flyin'. I don't know how long them engines will last under that sort of stress." Cid folded his arms and glowered at them. "Be careful, ya hear me?"

"Yes sir," Riku agreed.

Cid looked at him strangely. "I wasn't talkin' to you. I was talkin' to the young Princess."

Kairi patted Riku's arm. "Thanks Cid, I will."

Wave appeared with three full rucksacks, arguing with Aerith over payment for the supplies. "Really, we have enough munny-"

"No, this a gift just to get you going. You can pay me next time."

"Are you sure? I know Riku's been eating you out of house and home."

"Hey!" Riku leaned against the gummi ship and the same piece came off. He hastily reattached it.

"Here, just take some." Wave pressed some munny into Aerith's hands and rushed over to join Riku and Kairi by the gummi ship. "Hurry, climb up the ladder. We need to get going."  
"Bye everyone!" Kairi waved to the small group that had come to see them off.

Everyone waved back. "See you later!" Yuffie called.

"Buckle up, and let's get this show on the road!" Riku pushed some buttons as Kairi sat down, the cockpit closed, and the gummi ship rose off the ground.

* * *

"Can we take a break? My feet are falling asleep." Kairi squirmed in her seat. She was crammed into the backseat of the gummi ship. Riku had claimed the seat in the front next to Wave and since she had felt bad about leaving him behind, Kairi had acquiesced.

Kairi was not feeling as obliging now. "Hey-—"

Looking out the starboard viewport, Kairi saw something passing below them. "Guys, what's that?"

Wave flicked a switch, passing flight control to Riku, and turned around. "Twilight Town. We don't—- there's nothing we need there. I'm sure of that."

_Twilight Town..._ Kairi had the strangest feeling she had heard it before.

"How do you know the name? It's not on Queen Minnie's charts."

"It wouldn't be. I... spent a good deal of my early life there." Wave turned away and pretended to be absorbed in the readings on the dashboard.

"Riku, can we take a break? Please? My feet are asleep!" Kairi pleaded with the usually more reasonable of the pair, but he shook his head, staring straight ahead.

"If she doesn't want to stop there, it's for a good reason." Suddenly, he jerked the steering yoke to the left, hard. "Heartless ships!"

"Well, shoot them! We have weapons, right?" Kairi itched to be steering. She was hating sitting still in the backseat.

"Weapons are..." Wave stopped pretending and actually checked one of the readouts in front of her. "Almost non-functional. I can try though..."

"Too late," Riku grunted. "Hold on! I'm taking evasive action."

As they swerved hard again, Wave was thrown sideways and cracked her head on the hard shell of the Highwind.

Kairi coughed, and for the first time, she noticed the sharp tang of ozone and the thin smoke starting to filter in. "What's that?"

Riku unbuckled and climbed into the back, clambering over Kairi. "The engines are failing. It must have been all those Heartless ships we ran into. It's either here or in the middle of nowhere, Wave. Wave?"

Wave didn't respond, forcing Kairi to climb into Riku's seat. Kairi took her shoulder to shake her and then noticed the rapidly appearing bruise on her forehead. Kairi jerked her hand back, fearful of causing more problems by unconsciously healing her. Aerith had given Kairi first aid lessons, but nothing for more serious injuries.

"Tell me what to do, Riku. Wave's out up here."

Riku gritted his teeth. "Just hold on tight. Without engines, this is going to be a bumpy landing."

* * *

Kairi groaned. "Is everyone alive? Sound off if you aren't." The cockpit was dark and hazy, lit only by red warning lights.

Riku coughed, and his glowing teal eyes appeared out of the gloom as he blinked and wiped dust off his face, leaving a dark smear across his forehead. "I'm alive. I think Wave is too, but she's not responding to me. She probably hit her head."

"That happened before we crashed."

"I know. I mean, I think she hit it again."

"Great..."

Kairi reached up and released the roof hatch. Faint moonlight fell through the trees above and she climbed up to see outside.

"There's a campsite here... It doesn't look like it's been abandoned more than a week or two."

Riku tossed a bedroll up to her. "Well, hopefully they won't mind us using it."

* * *

Sitting by the campfire, Riku bandaged up a red welt on his arm. All the supplies had been broken in the crash, so all they had left were bandages. Aerith had packed the supplies well, but had not expected such a violent crash.

Kairi watched him curiously. "I could heal that for you, if you wanted. Aerith taught me some first aid..."

"No, it's fine. I don't like healings, anyway."

"Really? Why?"

He shrugged and Kairi didn't get a chance to press him further as, in her bedroll, Wave moaned and rolled over.

Riku crossed to her and her eyes opened, staring at him.

"We shouldn't have come... But he's here."

"Who? Sora?"

She giggled. "No, it's nobody..." Her eyelids flickered and then closed again.

Kairi poked the fire with a stick. "What did that mean?"

Riku sat back down. "I don't know. Maybe she sensed Sora. She clearly wasn't fully conscious." He sighed. "If she isn't better by tomorrow, maybe we should think about getting medicine in town."

* * *

"Where are we going to get enough munny to get parts? Never mind finding somewhere that sells gummis." With the damaged gummi ship safely hidden in the woods, the trio had snuck into town through the old mansion. Wave seemed to be doing better, but she hadn't spoken since the previous night and Riku was of the opinion that although he didn't want to go to a doctor, some ice and bandages would be good.

Riku shrugged off Kairi's question. "I'm sure somewhere will have them."

"Yeah, well-"

"Kick it here!" Kairi was nearly run down by a young man with shaggy black hair, with the roots growing in a light brown.

He turned back to apologize and Kairi was immediately struck by his blue-grey eyes, the color of the ocean before a storm. "Oh, sorry. Hey, are you new? I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah, we're, uh, visiting."

"Good to meet you." He smiled and held out his hand, putting his soccer ball under one arm. "I'm Haruto, and these are my friends. Hey, Hayner, Pence, Olette!" The trio of teens lined up behind him and waved.

"Do you have anywhere you're going?"

"Yeah, we were looking for somewhere to get some ice while we were h ere. Our friend fell and hit her head."

Haruto tossed the soccer ball to Hayner. "Keep playing! I'll join you in a little bit."

"That isn't necessary," Riku began, but Haruto just smiled at him and took a place next to Kairi.

"I know where to get some ice, and for that matter, some good ice cream too."

Wave avoided him like the plague, though she still seemed to still be in shock. "Riku..."

Riku gently took her elbow and steered her away from Haruto. "Wave, what's wrong? Hey, you're burning up. You need to sit down."

"She's here. They all are. They're all wrong." Wave's eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed.

...

"So are you transferring schools?"

Something about this boy made Kairi want to tell him everything, but she stuck to the story.

"I'm Kairi, and we're just visiting. We like to travel, but we had an accident. We need to get munny so we can buy some supplies."

"Oh." Haruto was disappointed. "Well, there's almost always someplace where you can get work during summer vacation."

"That's great!" Kairi looked down, scuffing her shoe against the cobbles. "Why were you hoping we were transfers?"

Haruto rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "I just officially transferred here, since we're beginning school next week. The townspeople think I'm a bit odd, so I don't have many friends."

"Those others seem to like you well enough."

"Well... They're the only ones who do." He smiled again, and Kairi noticed he had a small gap between his front teeth.

She shook herself. _Now is not the time to think about how cute he is._

"Really?"

"Really. Actually, truth is, I'm sort of a runaway. They found my campsite-"

Sigh. Thunk. Haruto and Kairi turned. The blonde had collapsed onto Kairi's other companion, and he was having difficultly supporting her weight. Viscous dark fluid seeped out from under a bandage hidden by his hair.

"Riku, why didn't you say you were hurt?" Kairi rushed to the blonde's other side, taking some of the weight off of him.

"I'm- I'm not."

An inexplicable surge of resentment washed over Haruto, but he immediately clamped down on it. _Why do I care if she likes that other boy? For that matter, why did I tell her all that? I've never spoken this much to the others._

"I'm... fine... Really." Riku's words were starting to slur together, and he stumbled slightly.

Kairi knew he had lost blood the day before, but he hadn't told her how much. Having to support Wave's unconscious weight had reopened a gash on his forehead he hadn't wanted to say anything to her about, though Kairi was unsure why. She did know that while head wounds weren't usually serious, they did bleed a lot.

Kairi took most of Wave's weight, so Riku raised his hand to his forehead, pressing his makeshift bandage.

"What happened to you three?" Haruto took hold of Wave's shoulder, taking the rest of her weight off Riku. "Don't tell me this was a hiking accident."

Kairi made a decision. "We need help. I'll explain, but first, can you lead us somewhere we can stay? We don't have any munny, but I can work it off."

"Of course. I know just the place, but don't worry about paying me." Haruto picked up Wave, her head resting against his shoulder.

He led them to a small place under the train tracks that seemed to be everywhere in Twilight Town.

"I'll go get a doctor-"

"No, no doctors." Riku winced as he sat down. His face looked pale. "I'll be fine...just need...rest. Wave needs... ice and... something for a fever..."

"I'll get it."

As soon as he left, Riku looked at Kairi. "You... didn't... tell him anything, right?"  
"No, not yet. But I told him I would."

Riku winced as he peeled the makeshift bandage off his head. "Kairi... You can't... tell him the truth..."

"Riku, we have to. He's not going to believe us otherwise. And what if he goes outside the town to check our story? He'll find the gummi ship."

"I... hid it..."

"Yeah, but not _that_ well. If he really looks, he'll find it. It's red, Riku."

Riku sighed. "All right... Kairi. Just... leave the keyblade... out of it. Tell him... we're looking for... a friend..."

* * *

Kairi could see the ocean, her ocean. Her hand, gloved in black, reached down and picked up a shell. A sound caught her attention, and she spun.

Some part of her told her that she had been waiting for someone.

She ran up the steps to stand next to the Paopu tree.

A figure stood there.

_Hey..._

Turning, they removed their hood, and while first they were a young woman, the figure morphed, taunting her until she couldn't stand it. Pain flooded her mind and she fell to her knees, head in her hands, and curled into the fetal position.

Her sight flickered, in and out, like an old television set. The young woman seemed to be trying to tell her something, but the pain was too intense.

The world shifted, and Kairi was in a dark city. She scrambled to her feet.

_You get on their bad side, and they'll destroy you!_

_No one would miss me._

Ansem stepped in front of her, drawing a black keyblade, his yellow eyes set hard.

_Get out of my way!_

She launched herself at him. He stumbled back, but quickly caught her in a stranglehold. She struggled, but lack of air made her dizzy and lightheaded.

She distantly heard the clatter as her twin keyblades hit the ground. The world narrowed, and all she had left was despair at failing to fulfill her promise as her sight went dark...

* * *

Kairi bolted upright, gasping, her hands grasping at her neck. _What... What was that?_

She stood, planning to step outside for a breath of air.

Haruto seemed to be asleep sitting up on the other side of the room. His face looked hollow and gaunt in the glow of the flickering lantern. Wave tossed and turned in her bedroll, mumbling in her sleep. Riku was as still as a stone statue in his, lying flat on his back with arms resting at his sides.

She pushed aside the curtain hiding the place under the train tracks, and stepped outside into a dark blue night, lit by a pale moon.

Some instinct took her up to the plaza outside the train station. As she stood by the guardrail, the whole of Twilight Town spread out below her.

"Kairi... Could I talk to you for a moment?"

Kairi spun and nearly fell. Haruto had come up behind her without her even noticing.

"I didn't know you were awake."

He shrugged. "I want to show you something. I know you aren't afraid of heights."

"Well, no, I'm not, but..."

He took her hand and led her up to the top of the clock tower. Kairi breathed in the night air deeply. The wind ruffled her hair like an old friend. The only thing missing was the salty tang of the sea.

He sat down on the edge and gestured for her to do the same. A little nervous despite her head for heights, Kairi sat on the edge and looked out over the town.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Kairi had to admit it was. The night was still dark, but the light was starting to show at the very far edges of the east. The whole of sleeping Twilight Town was below, lit only by the moon and stars and the occasional streetlamp.

"You can't really see the sunrise from here, but the sunset is lovely."

He fell silent, and just as Kairi was about to say something, he spoke up again.

"Sometimes, when I feel lonely, I come up here. It doesn't make it go away, but..." He pressed his closed hand to his chest. "At least it doesn't hurt as much. I just wish..." He opened his hand, gesturing out at the town below as if he was letting sand trickle out of his hand.

"Why were you awake?" She looked at him. When he had surprised her, his eyes had been an almost empty blue sky, but now the grey clouds were moving back in. _When did they change? I didn't even notice._

"I don't know," he said quietly. "I have dreams... Sometimes I wake up unable to breathe, but I can never remember what they were."

His eyes shone silver, and he turned to face Kairi, taking her hand. "Take me with you, please. I'll die if I stay here much longer."

"I don't know, Haruto... Wave and Riku need to agree first."

He put her hand down. "I see..." He stood. "Tomorrow then."

"Yeah..." Kairi watched him until he disappeared down the path below, but she remained on the clock tower until the sun rose.

* * *

"No."

"Riku, please," Kairi pleaded the next morning.

"Absolutely not, and while I'm not usually the one to say this, Wave can't, so I will." Riku folded his arms, the bandages around his arm and head and covering one eye giving him a fierce appearance. After sleeping a full twelve hours, he seemed remarkably well for someone on the verge of passing out the day before.

"Kairi, you're letting your emotions cloud your judgement. We know next to _nothing_ about this boy. What little we do know is that Wave _doesn't trust him._ Shouldn't that warn you that something isn't right about him?"

"He helped us, Riku. I don't know what we would have done if he hadn't."

"That doesn't matter-"

"Ugh..." Both turned to see Wave struggling to sit up.

Riku rushed over to help her, propping her up against the wall. "Wave! Are you all right?" He touched her forehead. "Your fever broke. That's good."

She licked her lips. "What... What happened? I had the most terrible dream..." She looked around, and rubbed her eyes. "Oh no... It wasn't all a dream, was it? And I'm still here with you two."

"Guys, I brought some taiyaki! I thought that might be good for breakfast, and since I didn't know what you liked, I bought some of..." Haruto stopped halfway through the door. "Your friend's awake."

Riku took the paper bag away from him. "Thanks." As soon as Haruto wasn't looking, he scarfed down three fish cakes in a single bite. Kairi took the bag out of his hands before he ate that too.

"Hey!" Riku mumbled with his mouth full, "I need fuel too!"

Haruto pulled out a dirty and folded poster and flipped it over to show them the list of potential jobs to be had he had scrawled on the back. "I thought if you guys were feeling up to it, we could look around for whatever supplies you guys might need this afternoon."

While keeping Riku at arm's length, Kairi held the bag above her head and tossed it to Wave, who caught it with little difficulty. "Sure. How 'bout after we eat?"

After tasting Haruto's taiyaki, Wave licked her fingers. "Vanilla. Very nice." Riku sulked in the corner as Kairi and Wave split the remaining cakes and offered some to Haruto, who declined, saying he had already eaten.

* * *

The yellow eyed man glared at Axel through the cell bars. The stare was lost on the sightless Nobody, but Axel had no trouble sensing his anger and frustration.

"Just give up already," Axel said. "Give them what they want, and they'll let you go."

"No, they won't," the man rasped. "You should know that better than anyone."

Axel sighed, a Somebody instinct he had been finding himself falling back on more and more often these days. "No, they won't. You're right. You've become too similar to him. There. Does that make you feel any better?"

The man rested his silver head against the cool wall. "I know. I should have listened to him. This was the wrong way to go about things. Do you think I haven't realized by this point?"

"_I_ think-" Axel turned, hearing something. Footsteps, the brush of a cloak against stone.

The man raised his head, hearing it as well. "Axel, Kairi is coming to rescue him. You can't let them stop her."

Axel took a step back. "Princess Kairi is alive? But... Radiant Garden..."

"Was being rebuilt before you stopped the reconstruction. Guess they haven't told you everything. Did they even tell you who the Princess was?"

"No... Saïx didn't tell me she was a Princess, just that the keyblade hero's girlfriend had found a keyblade and was on her way to save him with _you..._ I didn't know until the mission, and honestly, it didn't seem like a big deal..."

The man shrugged. "Well, what he told you is true, from a certain point of view." He smiled slightly. "Just don't let either of them hear you call them boyfriend and girlfriend."

Axel rested his hand against the wall, and continued, "I'm not surprised he... omitted certain details. The others don't trust me and Isa never could stand it when I lagged behind. Speaking of which, he's coming now."

_I hadn't realized how often I am being left out of the loop. I'll have to try to see what I can find, but it'll be difficult._

"Axel, the Superior wants to talk to the prisoner _now,_ not in twenty minutes." Saïx pushed Axel aside, causing him to stumble.

Axel glared in his direction. "I was getting to it."

The man stared defiantly at the pair, but didn't resist as Luxord bound his hands behind his back. "I won't betray them."

Saïx marked something off on his clipboard. "That's fine."

As soon as they stepped outside, the man kicked out at Luxord, taking him by surprise and knocking him to the floor. Easily breaking the bonds around his wrists, he made as if to flee, but Saïx offhandedly threw Blizzard at him, freezing his feet and causing him to trip and fall.

Axel listened to the proceedings with a half-smile on his face.

"You!"

The man turned his head at the familiar sound of the other prisoner's voice. "What? Why are you here?"

Saïx put his booted foot on the man's back, keeping him from standing with his claymore and interrupting the reunion. "Why didn't you use his power?"

"I... decided... not to," the man grunted. "Just look where using it the first time got me."

"A noble sentiment. However, I have no time for heroics. Luxord! Make sure this doesn't happen again." Saïx froze the man's hands together before melting the ice around his feet, then pulled him to his feet.

"It won't, I assure you."

* * *

After Kairi and Wave had eaten the last of the taiyaki, except the few they gave to Riku after he begged them with puppy dog eyes, they sat out on the plaza to discuss the best places to buy the supplies they needed.

"Gummi bricks, huh? Can't say I've heard of them..." Haruto looked at the ceiling, thinking.

"I know where a good store of them are," Wave said reluctantly. "If you had asked me earlier-"

Riku interrupted Wave. "You've been only half-conscious the past two days. If we could have asked you, we would have."

Kairi turned to Wave, who seemed to be unhappy with her idea, whatever it was. "Are you sure? We aren't going to have to steal them or anything, right?"

Wave shook her head. "No, nothing like that. It's just that... They're in the basement of the old mansion."

"That old place? It's been locked up for as long as anyone can remember. Why would they be there?" Haruto asked.

"We've... stayed there before. That's why it's off limits to the everyone. It wasn't hard to spread the rumor that it was haunted. People will believe anything they're told." Wave shrugged disapprovingly. "We abandoned it a year or so later, but we left in a hurry and much of our supplies should still be there."

"Well, then, let's go!" Haruto exclaimed.

Wave looked at him. "Thank you for your assistance, but your company is no longer needed. Why don't you go back to your friends?"

"Are you kidding? No way am I letting you three out of my sight! You'd probably leave town as soon I was out of range!"

Riku looked uncomfortable, like that was exactly what he had been thinking of doing.

Kairi saw his face and hit him in the shoulder, though not hard. "Riku!"

He winced and moved a little farther away from her as Kairi rubbed her hand. "Ow, you have a hard shoulder."

Wave ignored the antics of her companions. "I see you won't be dissuaded easily. This does not mean, however, you may come with us when we leave."

"Okay, but I think you'll change your mind."

Wave stood and dusted herself off. "Let's get going."

* * *

"Um, Wave? How do we get in?" Kairi stared at the mind bogglingly large keyhole on the gate. They stood in front of the old mansion. The gate was locked, and the wall surrounding the grounds was high.

Riku looked fearfully at the sky. "Looks like a storm's coming. Let's hurry."

Wave's keyblade took shape in her hand. "Do you want me to do it, or would you like the honors?"

"Uh, you can do it." _Whatever_ it _is..._

Wave lifted her keyblade. It glowed and there was an audible click. The keyhole vanished, and the gate swung open.

Haruto looked vaguely spooked. "How did you...?"

"Come on." Wave gestured for them to follow.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to make their way to the basement. It was dark and cobwebs and dust invaded every available space. Next to a console and desk chair were a set of computer banks and monitors. Bookshelves and desks took up all the space not taken by electronic components.

Kairi dusted off one of the computers. "These are all damaged. Looks like they were fried somehow."

Haruto's hand twitched at his side. "If the gummis aren't here, let's keep moving. I don't like this place."

Kneeling, Wave pulled a cardboard box out from under a desk. "They should be in here..." As she opened the top, a large grey shape burst out from inside, knocking her over.

The Dusk made a beeline for the door, gummis in hand, but Riku stepped in front of it. "No, you don't! Those are ours!"

Recovering from her surprise, Kairi summoned Oceanlight and easily destroyed the Dusk.

Wave got to her feet and gathered the Gummi bricks. "We should go. There may be more of them."

* * *

"No kidding," Riku mumbled as they ran out into the courtyard. They were ambushed as soon as they set foot outside, surrounded by fifteen more Dusks in a large circle and a hooded and cloaked man standing by the gate. Riku had been right: it was drizzling lightly, making the scene look more miserable and abandoned than it had before.

"Which one of you is Princess Kairi?" the man asked.

Kairi stepped forward. "I am."

"Can you prove it to me?"

"I-What?" Kairi took a step back.

"Prove to me you are Princess Kairi." The man gestured, and a Dusk dived for Kairi's party.

Before Kairi could react, a weapon appeared in Haruto's hands and he held it over his head in a defensive stance. The Dusk was knocked backwards, but Haruto wasn't finished. He swung his weapon like he had been doing this all his life and annihilated the Dusk.  
Kairi stared at him, open-mouthed. "Why-"

He was wielding a keyblade: Sun's Memory. It was colored the golden hues of the sun near its teeth, red in the middle and violet and deep blue at the very end of the hilt. Bands of light wrapped around its shaft, finishing in what resembled nothing more than the sun on the horizon, though Kairi couldn't tell if it was rising or setting.

Haruto spun and ran towards the figure, holding it in a backhanded grip. The man hesitated, then stepped back and, moving faster than Kairi would have thought possible, reappeared behind Haruto.

He dealt Haruto a sharp blow to the back of the head. "Stop that. Let me talk to the girl."

Haruto fell to his knees and Sun's Memory vanished. He sat in the mud, staring at the wall in front of him.

The man faced where Kairi had been standing a moment before, then slowly turned towards her. "Kairi, I'm not here to hurt you."

Kairi stared at him. "You could have fooled me."

He shook his head admonishingly. "Kairi, Kairi..."

He carefully removed his hood and shook out his hair. His red hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and his eyes were bleached to a green that was almost colorless. Burn scars ran from the corner of his eyes to his temples and he had a small black triangle below each eye.

He tapped the side of his head. "I'm Axel. Got it memorized?"

* * *

**AN: See? Things are happening...**


	13. Friendship

**AN: Any 358/2 Days fans out there? It was the first KH game I played, so it and Xion will always have a special place in my heart. Sorry, Xion-haters, but she was my favorite character. Hope that doesn't put you off the story too much, since she isn't really in it. You know, you really wouldn't want to be my favorite characters. Axel really got hit hard, and see what's happening to Riku? Strange, isn't it?**

***Kingdom Hearts and Disney don't belong to me, etc. Please rate and review!***

* * *

**-Part 13: Friendship**

"What do you want?" Kairi asked.

Axel shrugged. "I wanted to see if you were who you said you were."

"And?"

"He interfered." Axel called his twin chakrams in a flurry of flames. "But that's fine."

Kairi readied Oceanlight and they rushed at each other. The Dusks kept Wave and Riku from stepping forward to help Kairi.

Kairi brought her keyblade down on his head, but he kept the chakrams raised to fend off the blow.

Spinning around, Axel broke away and slashed at her. Kairi jumped back and, taking advantage of his slight hesitation when his chakram met no resistance, slammed Oceanlight down on Axel's right wrist. There was an audible _crack_ and Axel dropped the wheel in that hand, instinctively pulling his arm back. Kairi hit his midriff, knocking him to the ground and sending his other chakram flying.

Axel lay sprawled in the mud for a moment, gasping as he tried to get air back into his bruised chest.

Sitting up carefully, he cradled his injured arm. "You... are... an impressive... fighter, Lady Kairi... I'll give you that... But did you have to... break my wrist?"

"Sorry," she apologized sincerely. "I'll try to be more careful next time."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Kairi, you don't say sorry to the enemy."

Kairi ignored him. "Here, let me help you up."

Axel groped around him for his nearest chakram, then realized his search was futile. He snapped the fingers on his good hand and both chakrams vanished. Struggling to his feet, he stepped backward and disappeared.

* * *

Axel fell, muddy and wet, onto the bed in his quarters.

He sighed. This day had been a waste. He was unsure if this Kairi was the Princess that he had known and his wrist ached. He had a high tolerance for pain, but a broken wrist hurt a lot.

_She did apologize for breaking my wrist. That was very much like a Princess._

"Axel, what are you doing?" Axel started at the sound of Saïx's voice.

"Don't you knock anymore?"

"Why are you so muddy?" There was a rustle as Saïx crossed the room.

"Bad mission."

"Axel, I sent you to Agrabah to pick up some supplies, and unless you were exploring the hidden caves again against my orders, you should not be so wet."

"...Fine. I went to Twilight Town afterward. It was raining and I slipped in some mud, okay? It won't happen again."

"It had better not. You didn't speak to him, I hope?"

"Only in passing, and I had my hood up. Don't worry. It worked fine. He didn't recognize me." Axel sat up, careful not put any pressure on his injured hand. "What did you want me for anyway?"

"I was going to tell you a meeting has been called." Saïx's boots clicked on the hard stone as he walked to the door. "You are still onboard with this, correct? You've been acting differently ever since that incident with the Replica."

"Yeah."

Saïx seemed to take the affirmative as an answer to his question.

Axel waited until he heard Saïx leave before pulling up his sleeve and touching his wrist. He hissed in pain. It was swollen and definitely broken. He would have to find someone to heal it; he had no wish to mess with broken bones. For now though, he just changed into a coat with looser sleeves to hide the break.

* * *

"Is that it?" Kairi asked, wiping her arm across her head and inadvertently leaving a large grease smear.

"Uh, Kairi, you have a little something... right there." Haruto wiped it off with his sleeve, making her laugh.

"Riku, try it now," Wave called up to him. Riku, who had been sitting on top of the cockpit, nodded and climbed down inside. Kairi and Haruto scrambled away from the open engine hatch they had been working on as the gummi ship whirred to life.

Riku's voice crackled over the radio. "We've got power, that's good! I'm going to see if she'll fly." The gummi ship rose off the ground, then sparks flew from the hatch and it fell again, hitting the ground with a crash.

Wave grabbed the radio. "Riku, are you all right?"

A groan came out of its small speaker. "Yeah, I'm okay. Good thing I wasn't flying any higher."

Kairi and Haruto looked at their work in dismay and then at each other.

"Why didn't it work?" Kairi wondered.

Haruto shook his head. "I don't know. It looked right to me."

The radio fizzed and then Riku's voice came through the static. "Send Haruto up here. I'm coming out to work on it myself."

"Okay," Wave confirmed over radio.

Haruto climbed onto the top. Riku stuck his head out and explained the controls, then jumped down and headed for the engine hatch.

"What do you think?" Wave asked him as she joined him under the gummi ship.

"I think I can fix it. I've had a lot of practice with wiring."

"That's right. You would have."

Riku stopped his work and looked at her. "Is something wrong? You seem to be acting differently."

Wave sighed. "Oh, I don't know. It's just... this boy... he wields the keyblade... and... I feel different around him- almost happy, Riku."

"Wave... Are you sure you're alright? We can still call this off and leave him behind."

"We can't. He's important, whoever he is. I knew that from the moment I saw his keyblade."

Riku went back to his work. "If that's the way you feel."

* * *

Kairi sat by the radio. "So, Haruto... What do you like to do in your spare time?"

His voice came over the radio. "Huh?"

"What do you do for fun? I'm just making small talk here."

"Oh." His sigh came through as a burst of static. "Normal stuff, you know? Go to the beach, play soccer, the Struggle Competition's always fun..." He paused. "I like to draw. It feels nice to just sketch whatever comes to mind. I'm not very good though."

"What do you normally draw?"

"People. Places. Like I said, whatever comes to mind. Mostly stuff out of thin air, I guess. I drew a girl once... She looked a lot like you."

"Are you saying you draw the future?" Kairi said, laughing.

"No." His staticky voice was serious. "I think it's my past."

"Hey!" Kairi turned to see Riku and Wave a safe distance from the ship. "Kairi, tell your boyfriend to start up the engines!"

Kairi turned beet-red. "He's not my boyfriend!"

Riku waved a hand at her, telling her to get on with it, and Haruto's laughter came over the radio.

Her face got even redder as she realized it had still been on. "Well, if you heard that, you heard Riku's instructions, so get back to your job and test out those engines already!"

Haruto was still laughing as he answered. "Roger that!"

The gummi ship rose off the ground again, and this time remained there. Haruto carefully moved forward, and then higher. When he was high enough, he did a full loop-the-loop, then a barrel roll. Finally, with the cannon, he blasted a crater big enough for them to start a campfire in.

Riku covered his ears. "That cannon was never meant for atmospheric use! It's too loud to use here!"

Haruto seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he carefully set the gummi ship back down again and opened the cockpit hatch, sticking his head out.

"How was that?"

"It was great!" Kairi said too loudly. She stuck a finger in one ear and wiggled it to see that would help her hearing. It didn't.

"Why don't you come down, and we can eat dinner! We'll start tomorrow morning!" Wave added, also too loudly.

* * *

Kairi didn't sleep well that night either. Dreams kept her tossing and turning in her sleeping bag.

_**"Who are you?"**_

Axel smiled. "I'm Axel. Got it memorized?"

**"Uh, yeah."**

Axel held out his hands. "Good. Now that we're on first-name terms, don't go dyin' on me!"

**"Hey, here you go." Axel held out ice cream to a black haired girl. She took it, and smiled at him. She passed the extra ice cream to the other boy.**

"Thanks."

"I'm glad you could come today, -." The boy smiled at the girl.

The girl laced her fingers together. "Well, the truth is..."

"You and him... You all think that you know best... It makes me sick!" Axel clenched his hands.

"This is best... For everyone."

"Well, you just... keep on runnin'. But I'll always be there... to bring you back!" His fire-wheels appeared in his hands and he readied them to attack.

"Don't go easy on me, Axel, okay?"

"Hey, little girl. Here. Stop crying." A young boy with red hair and the same face, but without Axel's facial markings, bent down and gave her some ice cream to replace her dropped ice cream.

"Lea, seriously, we don't have time for this. First that boy, and now this girl..."

"I'm coming, Isa. I can help people too, you know."

* * *

Kairi woke the next morning tired. Running on autopilot, she stuffed her sleeping bag back in her rucksack and ate the burnt toast Wave made.

Haruto and Wave didn't look any better than Kairi felt, but Riku was annoyingly perky.

"Everyone, get in the Highwind! It's time to go!"

Sleepily, Wave stowed their gear in the cargo hatch and put out the fire.

As Kairi was closing the cockpit, something occurred to her.

"Riku," she yawned, "When did we name the ship 'Highwind'? Was that the name it came with?"

"No, I named her that since no one else seemed to care what the ship's called."

_"Riku!"_

Wave blearily rubbed her eyes. "Who said you could name the ship?"

"Yeah, well, would you have named her if I asked you to?"

"No..."

"Well then."

Kairi yawned again and leaned sideways. "Riku, this discussion... isn't... over..."

Haruto awkwardly patted her head. "Uh, Kairi...?"

Kairi realized she was falling asleep on his shoulder, and sat bolt upright again, suddenly not tired anymore. She squeaked out, "Sorry!" and moved as far away from Haruto as was possible in the cramped back of the gummi ship.

* * *

An hour later Haruto and Kairi still dozed. Wave was awake.

She looked at Riku. "Back there... Why were you so worried for me?"

"You know why. I care for you. Why do you have such a hard believing that?"

"That's foolish."

"No, what's foolish is refusing to accept that people like you and want to be your friend."

"But it wasn't _real._" Wave looked down at her hands folded in her lap.

Riku took her shoulder, making her look up at him. "I got over that a long time ago. And I'm sure Kairi and Haruto like you because you're you."

"_Do_ they like me?"

Haruto yawned and mumbled sleepily, "Of course. You're our friend, right?"

Riku smiled at her. "See? You belong with us."

"I... belong...?" Wave looked out the window.


	14. Divided Loyalties

**AN: Big twist coming up soon...! (Okay, these are just Disney world "filler" while Kairi hunts down Sora's memories. I mean, it's Kingdom Hearts, right?)**

**Alyss Penedo: Sorry it's confusing, but thanks for reviewing! That's the kind of feedback I wanted! :) It's supposed to be a bit "mysterious", but I worked on this for over a year, so sometimes when I came back, I'd forgotten what was going on. -_- Plus, in my author's notes, you can see I found out I'm not too good at mysteries. Oh well. :)**

***Kingdom Hearts & Disney: Still not mine!***

* * *

**-Part 14: Divided Loyalties**

"Kairi. Kairi, wake up."

"Go 'way, Riku," she mumbled. "It's too early to go coconut hunting, and anyway, Sora always gets hurt..."

"What? No, Kairi, you have a message."

Kairi turned away from Riku's voice. "If it's Mom, it wasn't my fault my phone got died."

"Wake up. You're still dreaming."

"I got this."

Kairi gasped as cold water was poured on her head. She opened her eyes to see Haruto sitting next to her in the back of the gummi ship, putting away an empty glass. He shrugged and went back to reading his book.

"Why'd you let him wake me up like that, Riku?" she snapped, trying to wring water out of her hair and clothing.

"Like I said earlier, you have a message, from Cid, I think. He's still on."

"Well then, move over." Kairi climbed over into the front, stepping on Wave, who was still dozing.

"I didn't do it!" Wave opened her eyes. "Oh, it's you. You're lucky I didn't hit you."

"Yeah, sorry."

Kairi sat down in Riku's seat, while Riku tried to move out of her way.

He squirmed, trying to climb into the back. "I think I'm stuck."

Haruto pulled on Riku's arms until he fell on his head

"Be quiet and sit still back there," Kairi ordered, still annoyed. "Riku, how does this work?"

Getting up and reaching around Kairi, Riku hit the video button and Cid appeared on screen.

"Hey Kairi. How'zit goin'?"

"We're good. We picked up another passenger."

Haruto leaned over the seat and waved. "Hey!"

Kairi pushed his head back. "Anyway, how are you guys?"

Cid scratched his head. "Well, the Heartless attacks have decreased since you left... But that wasn't the reason I called you. Actually, I wasn't the one who _wanted_ to call ya'll. Merlin found something he wants to give to you." Cid shrugged. "No idea what. Oh, and Aerith wanted to talk to you."

He stood and Aerith walked on screen and sat down.

"Hello Kairi."

"Hey Aerith. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to continue your lessons, unless you're on your way back."

"Who said anything about going back?" Riku stood on the seat in the back to be seen in the front. "We're on our way to Beast's Castle; do you know how far it is to get back to Radiant Garden?"

"Well, don't we want to get what ever it is that Merlin found?" Kairi pushed Riku aside, trying to make him sit back down.

"I thought you might say that. Merlin's gift can wait until after Beast's Castle. It is imperative that- w-ke-" Aerith's image flickered as static overcame the channel.

Riku leant over the seats to reach the dashboard. "Interference. Possibly debris related, more likely Heartless." He elbowed Wave, who, true to her word, hit him before she was fully awake.

"Axel- Thirteen- a new plan- - _don't trust him._" They lost the connection to Aerith just before a wave of Heartless appeared outside the windshield.

"Get out of the front!" Climbing into the driver's seat, Riku lifted Kairi over the seat and into the back. She hit the floor, and as she tried to struggle to her feet, the Highwind turned sharply and she fell again. Haruto took her hand and helped Kairi sit in her seat. She fastened the restraints, remembering the last time.

"Wave, status report!" Riku pulled the steering yoke hard to the side.

"Shields at 90% and holding. The engines are running at maximum safe levels and the cannon is charged and ready for firing."

"What are you waiting for? Fire on the Heartless! Kairi, get that map and find out how close we are to... well, anywhere!"

Cooly, Wave took hold of the joystick and began to systematically decimate the incoming Heartless.

Kairi was struggling with the large inter-space chart that Queen Minnie had given them. "Haruto, move your elbow."

He did so, adjusting his book to continue reading.

Kairi peered over the top of the map to see the cover of the book. Bound in brown leather, it was a hefty volume, worn and even singed slightly. When Haruto shifted, she caught a glimpse of the title: 'Ansem Reports 1-6: A Scientific Study of the Heart.'

"That looks like some heavy reading you got there."

He looked up at her. "Hm? Oh, it's not so bad. I picked it up while we were at the old mansion. It was sitting in a corner like someone had thrown it there. Some of the pages are torn out, but the ones left are very interesting."

The Highwind did a full barrel roll and Riku yelled at them. "Quit talking back there! Kairi, you got the map yet?"

"No," Kairi said, her voice muffled as the map fell on her head. "I'm having a little trouble with it."

The ship stopped rolling and Wave leaned back from the controls. "That's all of them. Kairi, just hand me the map."

Everyone, except Riku, who was driving, peered over Wave's shoulder as she spread out the chart on the dashboard. "I believe we are here." Wave pointed to an empty space next to a sketch of a round world with a castle twined in roses. "Near Beast's Castle. Over here," she pointed to a spot marked with a dot about half way between them and Radiant Garden, "here is Twilight Town. This chart hasn't been updated recently, and it's quite possible King Mickey didn't even know it existed." Several other round worlds were marked on the map, but Wave had put a black check next to their names. One that did not have a check, another with a castle, had been hastily scratched out with blue ink. Its original name was beyond recognition, but a person with the same hand but different ink as the map maker had written "Castle Oblivion" next to it.

Riku looked down out the windshield. "I can see Beast's Castle now. Let's land and see if you or Kairi can find anything."

* * *

"No, Belle!" The group was nearly run over as a massive yellow and brown Clydesdale horse galloped out of the gate. On its back was a petite brunette in blue and a winter cloak.

"That's the Princess..." Riku turned to follow her, but stopped. A tall man, garbed in the Nobody's cloak stood next to the castle doors. He looked towards them, and then looked away and pushed open the door. Dusks sprang up in his wake and even larger Nobodies, dragon-shaped grey Dragoons.

"Kairi, Haruto, go after her! She'll be in danger in those woods!" Riku ordered, assuming command. "Wave and I will follow that man!"

"All right!" Kairi grabbed Haruto's hand, summoning her keyblade as she ran.

He seemed to be in a bit of state of shock, and Kairi had to half drag him forward. At the edge of the forest, she stopped to catch her breath, still holding Haruto's hand.

"Okay, clearly, I'm not thinking this through."

-No, you are not.-

"Um, Haruto... Did you say something?"

"No..." he said, fear in his voice. "But I heard it too."

-Liege... Why do you run?- A Samurai shimmered into existence, standing on the bridge. Dusks appeared on either side of it.

"Haruto...What is that?" Kairi stepped backward. _It looks like the one I met in Hollow Bastion..._

He dropped her hand and the echoing voice dissipated. "I don't know! Just run! I don't wanna fight that thing!"

"I agree completely!" Kairi hastily called her keyblade glider. "Get on!" Crouching, Hauto held onto her feet as she navigated the dense forest.

* * *

"Stop right there!" Riku called as he and Wave ran into the main hall.

The man turned. Removing his hood, he sighed. "You are so troublesome. Where's the Princess? Am I not worth the bother?" He had black hair pulled back into long dreadlocks and thick sideburns. Opening one hand, wind swirled around him and a set of massive lances materialized, floating in the wind that continued to surround him.

"Xaldin!" Wave looked at Riku. "We'll take him together, all right?"

"All right." He pulled his katana from the sheath on his back.

Both ran towards Xaldin. Lifting a spear out of the wind, he threw it at Riku, who deflected it, but he was knocked to the ground by the second spear just on the heels of the first. The wind surrounded him, making it impossible to move.

Wave slowed. "Riku?"

He gestured for her to keep going. "I'm fine!"

The wind around Xaldin ceased and he stepped forward to meet Wave. She stopped, unsure what he was doing.

He gestured to her keyblade. "You don't need that. You're one of us. You don't belong with them. You're different, an outcast. They don't know the true you. They don't even like you."

"I..." Wave looked at Riku.

He was struggling to stand in the whirlwind that held him captive. "Don't listen to him! Fight-Ahhh!"

Xaldin waved at Riku and the wind lashed him, knocking him over again.

"Pawns should know when to shut their mouths."

Xaldin turned back to Wave. "You don't need that weakling. You could belong with others like you. Come with me."

When Wave still hesitated, he turned and said over his shoulder, "Think about it."

The winds around Riku vanished as soon as Xaldin went through the door to the West Wing.

* * *

"Ungh...Did you get the number of that ship that hit us?" Haruto sat up, rubbing his head.

"I think it was a tree... Oceanlight!" Kairi frantically searched the snow until she came up with the translucent keyblade.

She stood. Haruto stood as well, drawing Sun's Memory. The keyblade gave off a faint glow and warmth, undetectable in its previous environ, but well suited to the snow.

They were standing on the edge of the woods next to a small cottage. The petite brunette woman was trying to reason with a group of angry villagers.

"No, he's not vicious! He's kind and sweet and would never hurt anybody! And that's why I need your help!"

The villagers' leader, a hulking brutish man, took something shining from her hand and held it aloft. "Belle's trying to lure us to our death with her crazy stories, just like her old man! You'd think she actually cared for this beast! I say this is the perfect time to kill the beast!"

The villagers all cheered, causing Belle to sob harder. "No, Gaston, don't!"

"We have to stop them!" Kairi started to run forward, but Haruto caught her arm.

"Kairi, think this through. What are we going to do to stop that mob?"

Kairi peeled his hand off her arm, holding his hand tight in a self defense grip that made him wince. "Well, we can at least rescue Belle! That is what Riku told us to do!"

-We're afraid we can't allow that.- The Samurai and Dusks appeared in front of them.

"How did they find us?" Kairi asked desperately. Was this going to happen everywhere they went? She ran forward to attack, and after a slight hesitation, so did Haruto.

In Kairi's footprints the snow melted and pale forget-me-not's and asters bloomed.

* * *

"Wave...?" Riku stood, bleeding from several small cuts on his unprotected arms and face.

She turned away. "We need to keep moving." She ignored the unspoken question between them.

A trio of huge grey Dragoons sprang up in front of them, clearly there to prevent them from following Xaldin.

Gasping, Kairi slid to a stop. The last Samurai toppled over and dissolved. Despite his previous performance, in this battle Haruto had fought slowly, almost reluctantly, and not only had Kairi needed to make up the difference, but the Nobodies had just kept coming. So far though, this seemed to be the last wave.

Kairi looked around. They were back in the forest a bit, farther from the house now than they had been earlier. She could hear chanting as the villagers headed for the castle, but she could no longer make out Belle's protests.

"We need to go find Belle. I doubt the villagers would have taken her with them."  
Kairi looked at Haruto. "Hey, are you alright?" He was crouched in the snow, his head down.

He stood slowly, his silver eyes half closed. "I'm fine, I'm just..." He blinked and something in his eyes reset, returning them to grey-blue. "I'm fine. Let's go."

"Help, oh, help!"

"That's Belle. Where is she?" Kairi looked around the clearing by the house. There wasn't anyone there... The cellar! She ran to the cellar door and knelt down, peering through a crack in the thick wood door.

"Belle?"

"Yes...? Who are you?"

Kairi stood, noting the hefty padlock keeping the door closed. "I'm Kairi. We've been sent to rescue you." Remembering how Wave had opened the door at the old mansion, she raised Oceanlight and pointed it at the padlock. It clicked and fell off.

Haruto pulled on the door as Belle pushed, causing him to fall over as it flew open.

Belle climbed out, helping out an older man, presumably her father. She turned to Kairi.

"Thank you for helping me and my father, but the one who really needs it is Beast!" Belle wiped her eyes. "This morning, a strange man came to the castle. Not only did he bring new creatures with him, but his appearance coincided with the that of a huge swarm of Heartless. Beast told me that he was fine, but I could see that he needed help, and that strange man... Beast had previously given me permission to leave to go help my sick father, but... without telling him, I left to get help. I had no idea how much anger Gaston had stirred up in the village. We need to get back to the castle and warn Beast!"

"My friends are at the castle now," Kairi reassured Belle. "They went after the man. They'll be able to help when it's attacked again."

She turned to Haruto. "The horse won't be fast enough. Can you use a glider now from watching me?"

"I can try," he said stiffly.

Kairi looked at him. "You do that." _What is_ wrong _with him? This isn't how he acted back in Twilight Town. Maybe it's all the Nobodies we've had to fight off. Maybe he's just tired._

Haruto threw Sun's Memory and it formed a glider under him.

Still watching him, Kairi did likewise. "Belle, get on and hold onto our feet."

Belle did, climbing onto Kairi's after casting an apprehensive glance at Haruto, who shrugged.

They flew above the trees this time, wanting to avoid a repeat performance of the previous tumble.

"Kairi... The name sounds familiar. Have we met?" Belle asked.

"I don't know. I can't seem to remember anything anymore." Kairi kept her gaze focused on the horizon.

Belle snapped her fingers. "You're a Princess too! We met in Hollow Bastion to seal the Keyhole! That boy was looking for you... Oh, what was his name?"

"Sora."

"That's right! Did you ever get back to your world?"

"I did. Sora didn't."

"Oh, Kairi, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

"It's fine. I don't remember him now, so it's not a big loss," Kairi responded, but as soon as she said it, she knew that it was only a half-truth. She wouldn't have come on this crazy quest if some part of her didn't still care for Sora... and Riku.

Belle and Kairi were silent.

"Do you know how... you know... he passed away?

"Oh, he's not dead. At least, that's what they tell me." Kairi breathed deeply. "No, they tell me he's just asleep, waiting for his memories to return so he can awaken and save the worlds again."

* * *

Riku stumbled forward, his eyes glazing over. "Wave, I can't... I can't keep on like this. I need to recharge."

Wave barely cast him a backward glance. "Fine. Sit over there and don't get in my way."

Closing her eyes, she reached inside and tapped the reserves of power she had access to. Frost, then icy fingers spread out from her, leaving snow in their wake. As the ice reached the Dragoons, they slowed down and then froze, turning into perfect glittering ice sculptures.

Kairi, Belle and Haruto ran up the stairs. They had beaten the villagers to the castle, and even now the castle's servants were assembling a spirited defense.

Wave opened her eyes and threw out her hand. The ice sculptures shattered into millions of razor sharp shards.

Kairi cried out and Wave fell to her knees. Haruto took her shoulder as she struggled to her feet.

Riku fingered a rapidly melting shard that had landed next to him.

Belle ran to the door and went in. "Beast? Beast?"

On the edge of exhaustion, they rushed in after her. Xaldin was standing by the window. He held a rose, glowing softly, with only two petals left.

"You are too late. Your Beast is gone, and soon, so will this rose."

"Where is he?" Belle asked, stepping forward.

Xaldin gestured out the window. "Out there. But I'm afraid I can't allow you to interfere with our plans."

They could just see Gaston confronting the Beast. Beast snarled and swiped at the man, but Gaston blocked his strike.

Kairi touched Belle's shoulder. "Go help your Prince. We'll keep this man busy."

Belle nodded, and ran down the stairs.

Wave looked at Kairi. "You are deeply interfering in the affairs of this world."

Kairi matched her gaze. "They started it. I'm just setting things right."

Wave shook her head. "You sound so much like him."

Kairi was puzzled by the comment. "Thanks, I guess?"

"In case you've forgotten, a little help here?" Riku's katana was locked between two of Xaldin's spears.

Wave deflected another three with her keyblade, and for the first time, Kairi got a good look at it.

Wave's keyblade, Hidden Verity, was covered with a thick coating of ice that obscured its true color - it appeared to be an indigo color underneath the silvery blue sheen of the ice. Delicate patterns were cut into the ice on the blade, winding around it, and where the handgrip met the shaft they gathered into a highly stylized pattern that almost looked like half of a broken heart.

Wave also seemed to have more control over the physical properties of her keyblade than Kairi did.

She spread her hand, but though ice materialized, her keyblade didn't transform. "Kairi, I can't do what I did eariler again, not for a while. You're on your own until I regain the strength."

And with that, she stepped back, leaving Kairi to face Xaldin alone.

* * *

Ten minutes into the battle, Xaldin was panting. He had not expected this much resistance from the girl. She fought hard, and to rescue a boy she didn't know? He could not understand.

"Why... Why do you fight like this? Sora is long gone."

Kairi's eyes were steady as they locked weapons, her strength of will keeping him from crushing her. "He may be, but I see what you've done here. This is wrong, and I will stop it. If I never find Sora... If he never returns... I will step up to take his place. I can't let you use people like this!"

"Kairi, look out!" Wave called.

Kairi met Xaldin's eyes as a shower of razor ice shards hit his back.

"I don't... don't understand..." He stumbled forward, revealing Wave behind him. "This... should not be..."

He could feel himself slipping away.

"Sleep now," Kairi whispered. "I hope your dreams are more pleasant than this."

Were those tears in her eyes?

The body melted away as Kairi knelt by it. _I didn't want to destroy anyone..._

"Kairi, we need to keep going."

"Yeah, I know, Wave." Standing, Kairi rubbed her eyes.

"He made his choice a long time ago. It's not your fault."

"I know..."

There was a cry from outside, and, scooping up the wilting rose, Wave gestured for them to follow. "Hurry!"

As they ran, Riku touched Kairi's shoulder. "Did you mean what you said about taking Sora's place?"

"Yes, I did." _I don't know when I made that decision, but I meant it with all my heart. It's what you would have wanted, right... Sora?_

"This way!" a yellow talking candelabra called, and his companion, a pompous looking clock, gestured for them to follow.

"Oh, do hurry! The master needs help!"

* * *

They were too late. Gaston was gone, but Belle was crouched over the body of the Beast.

Breath shallow, his huge paw reached up to gently caress Belle's cheek. "You...you came back."

"Of course I did. I promised, didn't I?" His paw slipped and she caught it.

"Beast? Beast!"

Kairi and Riku looked away, feeling it wrong to watch, and Kairi caught sight of the rose under its glass cover.

_You will remain a beast unless, before the last petal falls, you learn to love another and she loves you in return._

"I'm sure Belle's alright. She's probably with Kairi."

The last petal fell...

_"Come on, let's go rescue the Princesses!"  
"All right."_

so...

_"I promised to protect you, right?"  
"No, I promised! Your memory's a trainwreck!  
You always take everything from me!"  
"Riku..."  
"Only one of us can be right! Which one is it, Na-?"_

very...

_"I'll find my way back to you, I promise!"  
"I know you will!"_

slowly...

"I love you," Belle whispered, tears dripping onto the paw she held.

The last petal touched the ground and the clock turned away.

"That's it."

"No... wait. Look!" the candle cried.

Kairi spun, tearing her eyes from the rose petal.

The Beast was glowing. His body lifted off the ground as the magic on him dissolved.

He settled to the ground, a human man with shaggy light brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He looked up at Belle, and she stepped back.

He held out his hand to her. "It's me, Belle."

"Beast? Oh!" She embraced him, tears of joy running down her face.

Next to Kairi, a portly man wearing a brown wig sprung up from the clock, and on her other side, a tall man dressed in gold and black livery from the candelabra.

"Cogsworth! Lumineré!" The newly human prince smiled at his servants.

He looked at Belle. "You broke the spell. Thank you for making us all human again.

"And Kairi?"

"Me?" Kairi pointed to herself.

"I want to thank you and your friends for rescuing Belle and keeping her safe. You don't know what that means to me."

Belle hugged her. "And to me."

"But I didn't do anything!" Kairi protested.

Riku elbowed her. "Just accept the praise."

"What are you talking about? You got me out of the cellar, stopped that man, and destroyed all those strange creatures."

"Yeah, but we didn't stop Gaston."

Belle hugged her again. "You can't do everything. Let someone else save the day sometimes. If you do it all for us, what will we do when you're gone, right?"

"I suppose..."

"As if. Stop sniveling. I woulda thought you'd gotten over that by now."

Kairi spun to see Xigbar standing there. He shrugged. "I came to check on Xaldin, but it looks like I need to change my priorities a little."

"You!" Haruto spoke up for the first time since one the way to the castle.

He ran at Xigbar, who, by holding him at arm's length, easily blocked his wild swing. "Hold on there, tiger. What do you think you're doing?"

"Stop playing with him!" Kairi ordered.

He looked over at her. "Playing? As if. I'm deadly serious. You see, by destroying Xaldin, you've proven yourself far too dangerous to keep around. One Keyblade Wielder is enough; three is just too much.

"So, you see... You just made your little selves some dangerous enemies."

He stared right at Wave and she flinched. "Oh, I know who you are underneath that icy shell. But I won't spoil it for these others. They'll just have to guess, won't they?"

A bolt flew right at Wave, but Riku deflected it with his katana. Haruto used the distraction to slip his keyblade under Xigbar's guard.

Kairi threw out her hand and shouted, "Tidal Wave!"

Haruto struggled to keep his footing, and their enemy stumbled backward under the press of the water. "So that's your answer, huh?"

And with a yell, Xigbar attacked.

* * *

Five minutes later, he fell to his knees, Haruto standing over him, keyblade at the ready.

"You... shouldn't be able to do that. Why did you do that?" He laughed. "I guess all my work really paid off..."

Kairi looked on as the second of two bodies faded away. _Two already..._

Haruto's eyes were confused. "What? What did he mean?"

"He was probably talking to Kairi," was Wave's opinion.

"I wonder..." Riku looked at Haruto.


	15. Consequences

**AN: Sorry about skipping over the fight scenes in the previous chapter. Don't worry, big twist coming soon! EDIT: Sooo sorry! Forgot to edit the line breaks in!**

***Kingdom Hearts and Disney don't belong to me. Please rate and review!***

**-Part 15: Consequences**

"Hey, how are you doing?" Riku asked Kairi over his shoulder from the gummi ship copilot's seat.

"I'm fine. Just minor scrapes. I already healed them."

"I know that. I meant, how are you coping? Being a Princess of Heart, it's hard to fight like that, right?"

Kairi turned away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, if you change your mind, I'm here."

"Leave her alone," Haruto snapped. "Can't you see she doesn't want to talk?"

"I wasn't speaking to you!"

"Shut up!" Wave yelled from the pilot's seat, the first time any of them had heard any sort of emotional reaction from her. "Just... shut up. I can't think."

The realities of their fight had finally caught up to the quartet. Wounds ached, even when healed, and in the quiet following Wave's outburst, each became more deeply entangled in their own thoughts.

* * *

"Are you sure there isn't anything else you need?" Belle fretted.

Kairi fingered the petal in her pocket. "No, I think I have everything we came for."

"I hope to see you again soon, Kairi. Maybe next time, you can join us at a ball."

Kairi forced a smile. "Sure. Maybe I'll bring Sora with me."

"That would be wonderful."

* * *

"We should head back to Hollow Bastion and regroup," Wave said, breaking the ill-tempered silence that had descended onto the cockpit. "All of the computer equipment is there. Perhaps we can get them back on-line and restart the monitoring protocols."

Kairi frowned. "We should also check on Quorra. I hope she's not having as much trouble as we are on the Grid."

* * *

"No! Aerith!"

Kairi climbed out of the gummi ship to see a tall man dressed in black, his golden yellow hair in gravity-defying spikes. He was cradling a limp pink clothed body in his arms and appeared to be shouting at thin air.

"How dare you! Come back and fight, you coward!"

The man's head slumped. "Oh, Aerith... What am I going to do now?"

As Kairi got closer, she could see it was indeed Aerith's still form that the man was holding so carefully. Scattered around his feet were flowers, and by the low wall was a basket, lying like it had been dropped and had rolled away. "What happened?"

He turned towards her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kairi. I'm... I know Aerith. " Apprehensively, she stepped closer. "She's teaching me healing magic."

The man's blond head shot up. "You can heal?"

"Some, yeah. Aerith's hurt? What happened?"

The man shook his head. "I don't know. I found her like this." His voice shook a little, and somehow Kairi thought he wasn't telling her everything. "Can you help her?"

"I can try. Come on, I know where they're staying. We can take her there."

* * *

Leon did not look happy when Kairi and her friends knocked on his door, but then again, when did he ever look happy?

"Cloud," he grunted.

The blond man twitched. "Squall."

"Leon," Kairi entreated him. "Leon, please, it's Aerith. She's hurt."

Leon's eyes widened. "You found her?"

Cloud nodded.

"Bring her in."

Aerith was carefully laid on the sofa, while Cloud stood against the wall. Yuffie enthusiastically greeted Cloud with a hug and Cid greeted him with predictable gruffness.

"Cloud?"

Cloud turned towards Leon. "Yeah?"

"A woman was here, not too long ago, looking for you. Long black hair, in black like you?"

"I'll go talk to her after Aerith."

Merlin hovered anxiously over Kairi. "I'm sorry I can't help more. I don't know any thing about healing."

Kairi gently patted his shoulder. "I know, Merlin. Why don't you make some calming tea for yourself?"

"Tea, yes, tea. Now where has that teapot wandered off to?"

Wave drew Kairi aside. "I can't pretend that I know anything about healing, but isn't this dangerous?"

"Yes, but I have to do something. I can't just let her go like that." Kairi's eyes saddened. "This isn't about me or Aerith, is it? You're worried about those memories. If they're so important, take them. I don't want them." She pressed the rose petal into Wave's hands, transforming it into torn notebook pages.

Kairi turned away from Wave. "Just... think about who really know you. Us? Or them?"

"Is that what you think of me?" Wave whispered. "Is that what you all think of me? You think that I'd betray you just like that?"

_"You're just like the rest of them, selfish and cruel."  
"Words can't hurt me."  
"Heartless!"  
"Naïve."_

"I don't know, Wave." Kairi knelt next to Aerith. "I think you need to think for yourself."

_Am I not thinking for myself?_ Wave shoved the pages into a startled Riku's hands.

"Take them," was all she got out in a half-strangled command. She tried to push past Haruto, but he grabbed her arm.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Let go of me!" Shaking, she flung his hand away and ran out the door.

Giving the pages to Haruto, Riku ran after her. "Wave, please, wait!"

Haruto gingerly put the pages down on a table.

* * *

Kairi hadn't wanted to hurt Wave. Her abruptness came from worry, not a deliberate snub.

But... Wave and Haruto each were keeping something from her; Riku seemed to be the only one who wasn't lying to her face and even he clammed up sometimes. Their fragile bond was splintering before her eyes.

_You need to focus._

Of course. Aerith's life was more important right now than anything her allies were doing.

* * *

"I want to be alone."

Riku cautiously approached Wave, who was sitting on the wall over looking the castle's moat.

"I know you do."

She looked up at him. "Do you still mean what you said, back on the Grid?"

He sat down next to her. "You've grown a lot since then. You aren't the girl I first met..." She looked away, and he caught her chin and turned her face back towards him. "But you aren't the one I started this journey with either. I think that's a good change, don't you?"

She buried her face in his shirt. "Hold me... please..."

He wrapped his arms around her, gently brushing the back of her head with one hand. "It's okay to cry. It isn't a weakness."

"That's not the issue, and you know it."

"Yes, I know."

They sat like that for a moment, appreciating the brief calm in the storm, until suddenly, Wave was wrenched from Riku's arms and pulled to her feet by her wrist.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." Her captor laughed, an insane laugh that broke off into a fit of coughing.

* * *

Axel closed his eyes. With their lack of emotion, Nobodies were harder to sense than Somebodies, but it was possible. Unless Zexion was being _very_ quiet, the computer lab was empty.

Working by touch and memory only, he inserted the flash drive into the computer. It would be harder to conduct his search on the main computer than on his personal tablet, so by gestures and voice commands, he copied the relevant files to the flash drive and set up a covert link to his tablet so he could search the main database from his quarters. He wiped the traces of his search and removed the drive.

"Axel, what are you doing?"

Palming the flash drive, Axel turned at the sound of Luxord's voice. "Oh, just looking for Zexion. I wanted to ask his help with something computer-related."

_Please don't ask what..._ Axel hadn't expected anyone else to be here at this hour and so had no excuses ready.

Luckily, Luxord wasn't interested in computers, just security. "He's downstairs. I'm not supposed to allow you down there though."

_Really? I wonder why..._

"That's fine. It can wait."

Luxord frowned. "Actually, you're not supposed to be here either. How did you get down here?"

"I walked. You must have missed me." Actually, Axel had sneaked in a back way he knew. If Nobodies were anything, they were paranoid: there were secret passages and chutes throughout The Castle That Never Was, though they were never really used except by Axel, who found it much more difficult than the others to use Dark Corridors.

"Hmm... I'll have to escort you back to your quarters."

"What, am I under house arrest or something?" Axel said, trying to laugh it off.

Luxord didn't reply with a similar quip like he usually did. "No. Come on."

That was when Axel realized just how much things had changed.

* * *

Kairi sat back on her heels.

Cloud noticed and came over. "Well?"

Kairi rubbed her forehead, tired. "She isn't going to die, but that's about all I can do for her. She used a lot of her power, and that'll have to return. Then she can finish healing herself."

"So... she isn't going to wake up."

"No. Not for a while."

"I see." Cloud turned to leave, and Leon caught his arm.

"Cloud, is there anything we should know?"

Cloud paused. "No." He pulled away from Leon and walked out the door.

"I found it!"

Kairi turned to see Merlin holding a brown book, its cover clasped shut with a gold keyhole. He held it out to her. "I thought you might want this. Sora helped me restore it. There's a whole world in there."

Kairi took it from him, her fingers tingling as they brushed over the gold clasp. The illustration on the cover was worn, rubbed almost clean, and she felt a distinct sense of sadness.

She carefully undid the clasp and was pulled in.


	16. Not Good-Byes

**AN: I know, I know. When are we getting to the good parts?! I promise, it's coming soon. This chapter is a bit random, but I enjoyed writing it, and it's a nice break I think for Kairi and the others.**

***KH and Disney: Not mine! :) Rate and Review!***

* * *

**-Part 16: Not-Goodbyes**

When her vision cleared, Kairi found herself standing on the rough pages of an enormous book held open to a map. Spying a large tree, she headed for it, carefully avoiding some misplaced descriptions and climbing around a place name that read 'Pooh's Howse'.

As she neared it, the tree became less of an illustration and more and more real, until she was standing under it, the sun playing happily on her head and the wonderfully green grass enjoying itself in the brisk breeze, with the only sign of the book she had just walked into, a large lowercase 'k', stuck in the soft earth near the edge of the path.  
Kairi briefly considered pulling it out, but changed her mind.

Now, under the tree was a patch empty of grass. In the middle of the patch was a small log and fire pit, the log having as its only occupant a golden-yellow bear about knee height, wearing a red shirt. He seemed to be concentrating very intently on something, for as she approached he was muttering to himself, "Think, think, think."

Behind the bear was a small house built into the tree with 'Mr. Sanders' over the door and a bell and bell pull with a notice that read 'Pleze ring'.

Kairi tapped the bear on the shoulder gently. "Um, excuse me?"

The bear jumped. "Oh! Hello there, stranger."

"Um, hi. My name's Kairi. I think I'm lost. Do you know where I am?"

The bear stood up. "Well, you're with me!"

"And you are...?"

"I'm Pooh Bear! You can call me Pooh. Nice to meet you."

He held out his paw, and Kairi shook it. "Likewise. Pooh, where are we?"

Pooh looked around. "Well, we seem to be standing by my house in the Hundred Acre Woods. Are we supposed to be somewhere else?"

"No- you know what, never mind. It's okay."

"Alright then." Pooh sat back down and began doodling in the dirt by his feet.

Kairi sat next to him. "Um, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Have you... Have you seen a boy, about my height, with spiky brown hair?"

Pooh stopped what he was doing. "A boy? Why yes. There was one here not long ago. Now, what was his name again? Think, think, think..."

"Sora?"

"Oh, stuff and fluff. My memory's gone all fuzzy. It all comes from being a bear of little brain, you know." Pooh brightened. "Maybe Rabbit or Piglet or Owl could help you. They have so much more brain."

"Sssay, have you ssseen my shhhovel around here?" Kairi looked down to see a grey furry Gopher by her feet, wearing a tunneling helmet and with a strange habit of extending his 's's until he whistled.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't."

Pooh waved. "Hi, Gopher! This young lady is looking for a boy. Have you seen any?"

Gopher scratched his head, under his helmet. "No, can't sssay that I have."

"Well, thanks anyway." Standing, Kairi turned to Pooh. "Could you point me to Piglet's house?"

"Of course! It's that way." Pooh pointed down the path in the opposite direction from the way she had come from.

"Thanks. It was nice to meet you, Pooh, Gopher."

"See you later!" Pooh called after her.

* * *

It was strange, Kairi reflected. The further from Pooh's house she got, the less and less real her surroundings became until she was back on the map.

"I guess those directions Pooh gave me should still work. It is a map after all."

She kept heading in the direction Pooh had pointed out and soon another large tree came into sight, this one with a small door in it and a sign that said 'Trespassers Will'. Next to it was 'Piglet's Howse' in large letters that would have tripped her if she hadn't seen them in time.

As soon as she stepped onto the new path, the wind pulled at her. Something hit the back of her head, and she reflexively grabbed it.

"Oh, d-d-dear!"

Kairi realized two things: one, the thing she had caught was a small piglet wearing a pink striped sweater and red scarf, and two, she was holding him upside down.

"Sorry," Kairi apologized, turning him right side up. "Are you Piglet?"

"Y-y-yes... Th-th-thanks for saving me, but... who are you?"

"I'm Kairi. A friend of Sora's?" Kairi put Piglet down, but he immediately clung to her legs.

"Oh, d-d-dear," he said again, his little feet rising off the ground. Kairi caught him again as his feet reached her head height.

"Whoa, there. How about I hold onto you till we get to your house?"

Piglet nodded, and she made her way to the tiny door in the tree and squeezed through. Clearly relieved, he scampered away as soon as she put him down. Kairi carefully sat on the doormat, the room almost uncomfortably small.

Piglet busied himself in a small room off to the side, nervously heating up water in a china teapot, then came back to stand on the other side of the room, holding a broom as if to drive her away if she proved dangerous, an idea belied by the shaking of the paws that held the broom.

"Wh-Wh-who did you say you were?"

Recognizing a frightened small animal, Kairi slowly held out her hand to him. "I'm Kairi. I'm a friend of Sora... Do you recognize the name?"

"Sora? Y-y-yes I do." Piglet lowered the broom. "Kairi, you said? Oh, d-d-dear..." The teapot whistled and Piglet put down his impromptu weapon. "Would you like some tea?"

"I would love some."

As Piglet poured the tea, there was a knock on the door.

"Piglet, it's me, Rabbit. Owl said it was Windsday, so I thought I'd come over."

"You can come in, Rabbit," Piglet called, fetching more cups. Kairi scooted away from the door as a yellow rabbit entered.

Rabbit scratched his head. "Who are you?"

Piglet handed Rabbit a teacup. "This is Kairi. She saved me. Without her, I would be flying over the Hundred Acre Wood right now."

"Hi." Kairi held out her hand to introduce herself for the third time. "I'm looking for someone. Pooh said you and Owl would be the best to ask."

"Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a boy, about my height with brown spiky hair. His name's Sora?"

"Sora..." Putting his cup down, Rabbit thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Yes, he was here, but it was a long time ago. You're a friend of his?"

"Yeah, but he's gone missing-" Kairi was interrupted by a knock on the door. Rabbit opened it to reveal Pooh standing there.

"I just remembered!" He smiled. "Kairi!"

"Why don't you come in, Pooh?" Piglet invited, and Pooh trundled in.

He sat down on the hearth rug, the only place not occupied at the moment, and Kairi joined him.

"What did you remember, Pooh?" Kairi inquired.

Pooh looked at Kairi. "A man came, not a long time ago. He said he had something that Sora had left behind, and he asked me to give it to Kairi when she came to visit."

"Well? Where is it?" Rabbit's foot drummed impatiently on the floor.

Pooh tapped his head. "I know I put it in a safe place..." His stomach rumbled.

Rabbit threw his hands up in the air. "Pooh!"

"Maybe he's too hungry to remember," Piglet offered, giving Kairi an acorn shaped cookie that she bit into hesitantly. "But I don't have any honey..."

"I do," Rabbit admitted grudgingly. "It looks like the wind has died down a little. We could head to my house."

* * *

Rabbit's house turned out to be half in a tree and half in a bank, with two entrances: one a door in the tree and the other a round hole in the sandy embankment.

This time, perhaps because she was with Pooh and his friends, Kairi noticed she didn't return to the book's map, although the 'Windsday' seemed to have left various letters, and even whole words, scattered around the Hundred Acre Wood like so much storm debris.

As Kairi climbed around a 'windy' half buried in Rabbit's garden, she wondered if this was normal. The other animals seemed not to notice the words and letters, and when Rabbit did take notice of the 'windy', he simply shook his head, pulled the letters out, and threw them onto his compost pile.

"Here you go, Pooh," he said tiredly, placing a large jar with 'Hunny' written on it in front of Pooh. Pooh promptly sat down in the dirt patch in front of Rabbit's door and began to eat.

Quickly finishing off the pot, he looked forlornly at Rabbit. "I don't suppose you have any more?"

Rabbit shook his head fervently. "No, Pooh, you ate lunch with me just last week, remember? This is all I have."

"Oh. Yes. Bother."

"Have you remembered where it is?" Kairi gently inquired.

Pooh's stomach gurgled again. "It's just so very hard to think on an empty tummy."

Piglet nodded sagely. "That is true."

Kairi sighed. "I know it is, but where can we get Pooh some more honey?"

Pooh half raised his paw, still sticky with honey. "I think I have an idea, but it needs a balloon to work."

"Did sooomeone say balloooon?" A large brown owl alighted on one of Rabbit's fence posts. In his talon, he held the string of a large sky blue balloon. "I was just flying along, and all of a sudden, this lovely new blue balloon floated by, hoo. It must have gotten blown in by the wind on this blustery Windsday."

As Pooh outlined his plan, Kairi reflected that, for a bear of very little brain, Pooh had some big ideas. She had her doubts about the plan, but it was possible it could work.

* * *

As Pooh rolled in a muddy patch, Kairi looked at the tree she was to climb.

_It's so tall..._

It was a good thing, like Haruto had known, that she wasn't afraid of heights.

_Haruto..._ She frowned. _I hope he's alright. I'm afraid..._ She didn't know what she was afraid of, some nameless fear that lurked at the edges of her consciousness.

She reached out for the premonition, hoping to get an idea what it was. It was like trying to grasp someone's hand, someone who was just out of reach.

Suddenly, familiar rough fingers brushed her fingertips- **"Kairi!"** -then they slipped through her hold, leaving only a stronger sense of danger.

_A warning,_ she thought. _But of what? Or who?_

"Kairi, we're ready!" Rabbit called.

She shook her head, breaking out of her reverie. "I'll be right there!"

* * *

Pooh's plan involved him floating up with a balloon to the bees' nest in this tree, disguised as a rain cloud and Kairi had volunteered to keep the bees away from Pooh.

"Ready, set, go!" They let go of Pooh's feet and he floated up in the air.

Kairi began to scale the tree, trying to keep pace with the rapidly rising Pooh Bear.

"Oh, bother," Pooh said.

Kairi reached for the next branch, and climbed up next to him. He was caught in a tangle of branches a few feet from the tree and five or six feet below the bee's nest, which he was looking at apprehensively.

"What is it, Pooh?"

"I'm... not sure these are the right _sort_ of bees. You see, these mightn't be the ones that make good honey."

"Oh, great." Kairi sat for a moment, trying to catch her breath. She had been fine for the first few hundred feet or so, but being so high while shooing away the bees was starting to take a toll on her. "Well, is there any way to tell?"

Pooh thought. "Not without getting closer. You can tell by their buzzing, you see, but we're too far away to tell."

"A little bit closer. Okay." Kairi carefully set him loose from the tangle he was caught in and Pooh floated up next to the beehive, doing a little swimming dance in midair to get close enough to get his head in the hole.

The branches were too thin for Kairi to climb higher, so she stayed where she was and watched Pooh. "Well?"

Pooh smacked his lips. "Well, this is definitely the right sort of _honey,_ but- ow!" He pulled his head out to examine his hurt paw. The bees started buzzing angrily.

Pooh looked down at Kairi, getting stung again as he did so. "These- ow! might be the- ow! wrong sort of _bees!_ Ow!"

Noticing the bees dangerously close to the balloon, Kairi stood and held out her arms. "I'll catch you if you fall, okay?"

"Oh, dear...!" The lovely blue balloon popped and Pooh plummeted into Kairi's arms.

Unfortunately, neither the branch nor her arms were entirely ready to break the bear's fall, and the tree branch Kairi and Pooh were on snapped, sending them tumbling to the ground, meeting many smaller branches on the way down that slowed but didn't halt their fall. Their headlong tumble was finally arrested by a large gorse bush on the ground below the tree.

"Ugh..." Kairi climbed out of the bush, closely followed by Pooh. Both were covered in leaves and twigs and had gorse thorns stuck in them.

"Oh, look out!" Piglet called. All of them looked up to see a dark cloud of very angry looking bees amassing in the air above their heads.

"I think we had better be leaving!" Owl nodded to them and took off.

"We should skedaddle!" Rabbit agreed, scooping up Piglet as he ran.

Kairi caught hold of Pooh's paw. "Come on, I saw a pond nearby!"

They dived into the water just ahead of the swarm of enraged bees and hid under a half submerged log.

"That was close," Kairi breathed, and Pooh nodded. "Here, let me help you with that." Pulling out the gorse stickers in Pooh's nose, Kairi put her hand on the sores and the redness immediately went down. Pooh saw what she was doing and began to pull stickers out of Kairi's hair.

While she worked, Kairi asked, "I don't suppose that helped you think of where you put the thing?"

Pooh shook his head. "Think, think, think..." He paused for a moment. "Think! I know where it is!"

As soon as they were sure the bees were gone, Kairi and Pooh climbed out of the pond. Pooh grabbed Kairi's hand and began pulling her down a path she hadn't been down yet. "Come on!"

* * *

They stopped in a place very similar to where Kairi had first met Pooh, but this tree had a view of the whole Woods and the log was much larger, made for more than just one.

Pooh began rooting around under the log. "This is my Thoughtful Spot... I think I left it here so I wouldn't forget." He pulled out a small pink and blue pouch and handed it to Kairi. "Here it is!"

Taking it, Kari sat and shook out the contents onto her lap. There was some munny, shining strangely in the sun, a purple marble that looked like it would fit neatly into her palm, and a slightly larger package wrapped in what looked like crumpled stationary.

She picked up the package, surprised at its weight, and carefully unwrapped it, revealing a piece of amber as big as her palm in the shape of a heart. She was about to put the paper back in the bag when she realized there was a note written on the back, in a script started out elegant, but quickly devolved into a well-known scrawl.

Dear Kairi,

I am writing this letter to-

I can't do it, even with this fancy quill pen. Kairi, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for making you worry and that I can't be with you.

I just... I've done things I shouldn't have. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

I've realized the ends don't justify the means.

And...

I'm not coming home. Probably ever. So, please, don't look for me.

Tell Sora I said hi, that he was right, and not to worry,

Riku

_Riku...? Why did he write this? _When _did he write it?_ Slowly, she folded the note up and put it in her pocket. She picked up the amber as well, planning to put it back in the bag and felt the familiar pain as the world faded out around her.

_**"Have you seen Kairi or Riku?"**___

Pooh shook his head. "I haven't seen anyone like you."

"Pooh, don't you remember me? I'm Piglet!" Piglet held onto Pooh's foot.

_**"I'll help Pooh get his memory back!"**_

The sense of an enthusiastic smile.

The same feeling of _danger, warning_ touched her mind.

**Kairi, I am so sorry for getting you involved like this. Your friends... I never meant for this to happen. Kairi, remember this: they'll play with your mind, make it so you never leave, lost forever in oblivion. Fight it, Kairi! I know you're strong enough. My lovely Pri-**

"Riku...?" she asked, unsure, but the connection was broken. Kairi was back on the log in Pooh's Thoughtful Spot, and Pooh was looking out at the Woods, not at her.

Slipping the piece of amber back into the bag, Kairi carefully picked up the munny, which seemed to be about the same, if only a little shinier than other munny, and put it back as well.

Finally, she picked up the marble, completely unprepared for the shock.

* * *

"You don't understand! I can't fix it this time!" a girl's voice sobbed. "He's just gone!"

"Then we'll just keep the boy until you can." DiZ's voice was hard, immovable.

She gasped. "Oh, please... Let him go. He doesn't deserve to live like that."

"I can assure you, he'll be better off with us than them."

"What will you do when they find him?" Riku's calm voice asked.

"There are... plans, to keep them busy."

"I know you can't hear me, but I hope you're at least happy in there..."

"Now, girlie, step away from the control panel and put your hands up." She turned and Xigbar was standing behind her, one of his arrowguns to her head. She whimpered.

He gestured to the screens. "Pull him out of that little dreamworld you've created or I'll smash these computer banks."

She looked around for help, but there was none. "He won't know you. He probably won't even be conscious," she begged.

She surreptitiously pressed her hand against the input panel.

**Wake! Remember!**

"As if I care. I'll carry him if I need to."

A boy materialized on the other side of the room. He looked bewildered, holding a foam bat, but she yelled to him.

"Run! Run away!"

Xigbar spun and shot at him. The stray shot hit a power conduit, and the lights flickered and darkened.

The boy dived out of the way of the sparks. Looking back at her, his cerulean eyes shone in the dark like a cat's.

**Should I stay and help?**

"Go! I'll be alright!"

Footsteps sounded, and Riku dived onto Xigbar, who suddenly wasn't there, leaving only air in his place. In the darkened room, she had a hard time seeing, but it looked like both Xigbar and the boy had fled.

She sank down against the wall. "They'll never forgive me..."

* * *

Kairi stood, her sense of danger growing stronger. "I'm sorry. I need to go. Goodbye, Pooh."

Pooh stood as well. "Don't say goodbye. Goodbyes are so final, don't you think? Say... Say 'see you later,' instead." He smiled at her.

Kairi hugged him, and he hugged her back. "Alright then." She stepped away from the tree. "See you later, Pooh. Tell the others too!"

He waved. "See you later, Kairi!"

She stepped forward onto the map, stepping over an inscription that read, 'Pooh's Thotful Spot', and then, focusing on Hollow Bastion, stepped right off the map and back into the house in Hollow Bastion, the book falling neatly into her hands.

Kairi rubbed the cover. It had regained its former color, and now 'Winnie the Pooh' could be clearly read on it, as well as an image of a young boy with spiky brown hair holding one of Pooh's paws, and Kairi herself holding the other.

She smiled, but her good mood was shattered by the sound of the door opening with a crash.  
Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, Cid, Haruto and Merlin all spun to see Riku standing in the door. His clothes were torn and his katana was missing, as if he had fought hard but ultimately lost.

"Wave...! He... He took her!"

"What do you mean?" Kairi handed the book to a shocked Merlin.

Riku shook his head. "Wave's been kidnapped by the Organization. What's more, he told me where he's taking her. Castle Oblivion."

That name sounded strangely familiar to Kairi. "What's Castle Oblivion?"

Shutting the door, Riku stumbled to the table and sat down. "It's where Sora is sleeping."

"Sora's asleep?" Cloud asked from the doorway, and everyone in the room turned to look at him. His scowl got deeper. "I've been gone awhile, okay?"

"Yeah, and I'm not too sure about this whole Castle Whatsit-thing," Yuffie added.

"That sounds like a trap," Leon commented as soon as Riku finished bringing them all up to speed.

Kairi spoke up. "I think... Someone was trying to warn me something like this could happen. They said... _'They'll mess with your mind, make it so you never leave.'"_

Leon nodded. "Now I'm sure it's a trap."

Riku slammed his fist on the table. "But we can't just leave her there!"

Haruto spoke up. "It's not much of a trap if you know it's a trap. I think we should just go. Surely you can handle it, right?"

Kairi wondered if he was trying to intentionally incur Riku's wrath, since Haruto seemed to be doing a good job of it.

Riku snarled at him. "Of course I can! That's not what I'm worried about! If it was just me, I'd leave right now!"

"I don't like this," Cloud put in. "But I can't exactly talk you out of it either. I don't know what I'd do if..." He looked at Aerith, and the table quieted.

"So it's settled?" Kairi asked finally. "You, me, and Haruto'll go rescue Wave, okay?"

Riku nodded. "I have an extra katana I need to pick up before we leave."

Cid stretched. "I wish we could come with you, kid, I really do. But with all the Heartless still around, and with me and Leon injured, we really need all hands here."

"I understand." Kairi smiled at Cid. "But if you could look at the _Highwind_ before we leave...?"

Cid looked at her and burst out laughing. "The _Highwind,_ eh? A good name for a good ship! Sure, I'll have 'er as good as new as soon as you can say- On second thought, don't say that. Just lead me to 'er!"


	17. The Expense of Trust

**AN: Yeah, people are reading, and people care! Yay! Promised twist in this chapter! Unless you've already figured it out... :)**

***KH and Disney not mine- Please rate and review!***

* * *

**-Part 17: The Expense of Trust**

Kairi slept for most of the trip, dozing uneasily in Wave's copilot chair.

Riku gently shook her awake. On his back was an extra katana he had found to replace his missing one. This time, the blade was steel, real and razor sharp.

"Kairi, we're here."

Kairi rubbed her eyes and climbed out of the gummi ship.

From the outside, Castle Oblivion was a green and yellow three-dimensional paradox. There was no way it should stand- but stand it did. The path leading to it was grey and purple sand that had a strange slippery texture when picked up.

The swirling vortex behind the castle's puzzle-like towers did not not make Kairi any more comfortable.

"Let's go see this place, shall we?"

* * *

As soon as Kairi set foot in Castle Oblivion's white entrance hall, she knew something was wrong. The air around her felt thick and heavy and she found it hard to think, much less form coherent sentences. It looked like no one had cleaned for years. There was debris scattered everywhere.

The hall seemed to stretch on and on, and Kairi's head spun.

"They're here," Riku and Haruto said simultaneously, their voices echoing strangely.

"Who's here? Guys, I don't like this place." Yet, as she said it, she felt that if she kept going she would find who she was looking for. Never mind now who that was.

_They'll play with your mind, make it so you never leave. _

About halfway down the hall, Riku suddenly stopped, his eyes filling with horror. "No..." he whispered, backing away from an invisible aggressor. "No, please, not again! Naminé, stop her!" He turned to flee, but he tripped over some debris and cracked his head on the marble floor.

He didn't get up.

_...never leave... lost to oblivion..._

Kairi rushed to his side. "Haruto, help me here. I can't tell if he's breathing or not."

"I... I can't. Something about this place..." Haruto's feet were rooted in place. His legs slowly buckled until he was kneeling, his head in his hands.

_This was a bad idea. We never should have come._

Kairi tried to gently roll Riku over to see where he had hit his head and froze as her fingers brushed the back of his neck, just above his collar.

_What? A scar?_

She brushed aside his soft hair to see better.

"No, it can't be..."

Kairi's fingers traced the brand burned onto the base of his head.

_**Mrk 2 Replica. RIKU.**_

"No, no, no..." She shook his shoulders as if expecting him to wake and explain. Riku was one of the few things that had stayed constant about her new world and now... was even he a lie?

"Please, Riku, tell me it isn't true! Tell me you're not a... Replica... You're really Riku, right? Riku?" Kairi felt tears running down her face, but he didn't move.

At 'Replica', Haruto suddenly stood, but not to help Riku. He reached out for someone Kairi couldn't see.

"You... No, come back! Don't run!" he called and dashed ahead, pushing through the doors at the end of the hall as if he was chasing someone.

"Haruto!" Kairi realized it was futile. He was ensnared in the dreamworld of this castle.

_**"Help!" **_

Hearing the cry for assistance, Kairi stepped away and became entrapped in the past just like her companions.

"Sora, you lazy bum."

"Why am I doing this alone?"

_"I'll whip him into shape."  
"Not here, you won't. I have appearances to keep."_

"Are there other worlds out there?"

"Hey, don't cry.

**We'll meet again.**

I promise."

_"You and him... Always think you know best. Well, I'm sick of it! You just keep on runnin'. I'll always be there to bring you back!"_

_**"Don't be scared."**___

"I wanna know now!"  
"You're too young to know now."

Suddenly, Kairi was alone, lying on the marble floor. As she sat up, she saw a hooded figure sitting across from her. The figure removed their hood to reveal a young woman with a face that looked like a mirror image of Kairi's, though the hair cropped just below her ears was black, not Kairi's deep red.

Kairi stood. The young woman did the same. As Kairi reached out to touch her, the woman did the same and their hands met in the middle, just as if the other was a mirror.

"Who are you? I saw you in Twilight Town... And now, in the past," Kairi whispered. "Then, you just... disappear."

The woman smiled. Her appearance morphed, and she was Sora, right down to the sweet goofy smile. She reverted to the hooded figure, then the woman again.

_"I suppose you could call me a memory. I was designed to Replicate Sora... But it went awry, and I looked... like you."_

"Why?" Kairi tried to drop her hand, but it was frozen.

_"Because his most treasured memories were of you, Kairi. And now I have to give them back to him."_

Kairi felt a current run through her hand and up her arm. The woman sighed and closed her eyes. Her body went limp as she began to crystallize.

The hand gripping Kairi's was the last part of her to crystallize. The crystals condensed into a glowing orb that melted into Kairi's hand.

_Keep him safe, okay?_

Kairi's eyes closed.

_"Give the Princess' heart to me." A dark Riku, his voice harsh and cold, pointed his keyblade at Kairi. "I can sense it inside you."_

_**"I'll never give it to you, Ansem."**__ Even as he knelt in exhaustion, Sora's voice was determined and defiant._

"Then I'll have to take it by force!" The black keyblade came down on Sora's head, but at the last minute, the Kingdom Key met it in a block that threw Ansem/Riku backward a step.

_**"No, I have to return it to Kairi." **___

Donald squawked and Goofy shouted.

Sora spun the keyblade and plunged it into his own chest. 

With a stomach-twisting shift Kairi found herself lying on the floor.

_I remember-! _

She scrambled to her feet, but Sora began to vanish into golden light as he fell back where he stood in the center of the room.

Unconsciously, a desperate plea tore out of Kairi as she ran to him. "Sora!"

He disintegrated before he fell into her arms.

Gasping for air as if she was surfacing from a nightmare, Kairi's eyes flew open again.

Recovering, Kairi realized that what she had seen were Sora's memories of an event she had never witnessed, at least not fully.

_Does that mean... all those times... those were Sora's memories? But what about on the Grid? That man... that wasn't Sora. And in Twilight Town..._

Why are these memories inside me...?

A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, but Kairi refused to consider the possibilities yet.

* * *

"You can't keep pushing him like this. The coding is breaking down. Saïx, are you listening to me?"

Saïx spun on Zexion. "Do not ever speak to me like that again."

"I am a senior member-"

"Do I make myself clear?" The threat was obvious, though not in the passionless tone or words.

Zexion had his own suspicions of what had happened in Castle Oblivion, and personally believed he wasn't supposed to have survived.

"Yes. But my concern is still valid. At this rate, he'll break through in a few hours."

"By that point we'll have the Keyblade Hero under our control and he'll be expendable. The same as that prisoner."

"And Axel?"

"Yes, Axel..."

* * *

Kairi carefully slipped into the memories she now realized she was holding.

_Where are you, Sora?_

Thousands of images and sensations bombarded her, her own and others' memories intermingled into a insane mix that threatened to overwhelm her.

Suddenly, she felt someone give her hand a squeeze, then disintegrate. On the other side, a boy's rough hand took hers.

**"Hey, I said I'd come back to you, right? Just trust me, okay?"**

_Sora...?_

She opened her eyes as her keyblade shone, morphing into a gold trimmed keyblade, Heart's Guardian. It was white, washed with shimmering aurora-like pastels, and the delicate etchings on the shaft and teeth formed a Paupu fruit shaped star with a heart over it where the handgrip and shaft met.

* * *

"What?" Haruto looked around the golden red cobbles of Twilight Town. _How did I get back here?_

A figure looked back at him, then ran.

"Wait, don't go!"

He chased after the figure with a strange feeling of having done this before, but was forced to stop at the edge that suddenly appeared before him. He spun to see the figure behind him, blackness filling the edges of the world. They were alone on a pillar in the middle of nowhere.

"I want to know! Who are you? Who am I?" _Why do I know this empty place? Why do I feel like I know you?_

The figure shook its head sadly. _If you can't recognize me, then I'm too late..._

"Tell me!" he yelled, suddenly angry.

_I can't. I'm sorry. You'll need to find that memory yourself._

He stepped forward, and a flash illuminated the ground he stood on. The figure smiled sadly.

His eyes widened. "Hold on, I remember-!"

Pain shot through his thoughts, destroying any connections he had made. He screamed, clutching his head and fell to his knees.

_"Ahh!"_

Suddenly, Haruto was standing in a room that was painfully familiar. He carefully took his fingers away from his face.

The room had a flower shaped pod in the center of the room. Floating inside it was a young man in white robes. On his head, there was a white headset with various cables extending out to link him to the monitoring systems, though the ends of the cables connected to the computer were unplugged in what was clearly a act of malicious sabotage. His chest rose and fell very slowly, like a person in a deep sleep... or even a coma.

"Sora...?" Haruto spoke the name in a daze, his breathing slowing to match the other's as his fingers brushed the cold surface of the pod.

In a trance, he stepped back as it opened. He reached out to touch Sora's hand-

Something hard came down on the back of his head and he fell to the floor.

* * *

"No! I won't do it!"

"Yes, you will. Because if you don't..." The computer screens showed Wave each of her friends, each in varying states of unconsciousness.

"Which would you like to sacrifice? The boy?" The screen showed Haruto, lying stunned on the floor of the Chamber of Waking. "The Princess?" Kairi ran through the halls, looking for something or someone she couldn't find. "Or even that Replica...?" The Riku Replica lay by the door, unable to move, his vital systems frozen by the shock to his system delivered by this man standing right here in front of her.

He was tall, and possibly could have once been called handsome, but now only looked crazed, his light red, almost pink, hair wild and unkempt, his blue eyes wide and staring. He had a severe limp, and was forced when standing for long periods of time to support his weight against a pillar, wall or similar object, or else sit down.

He caught her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him.

Wave had to fight the urge to bite his dirty hand again. "Let go of me!"

Marluxia clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "My, my, my. Such a temper. I expected better of you."

Wave jerked her head away. "I won't do it."

"Yes, you will," he said in a low voice. "Or else I will get your friends, one by one. Let's see... How about the Replica? It's dead weight anyway."

"He's not an it!" Wave immediately regretted her outburst.

Somehow, Marluxia's passionless eyes were crueler than any smile he might have given her.

"It won't be long until it wakes, and then you can have the lovely choice between my destroying it... or doing as I say." Something caught his eye on one of the other screens and he frowned. "It seems we have another visitor I need to attend to. Think about it while I'm gone."

He vanished in a swirl of petals and Wave started struggling to free herself from the rope that bound her hands together behind her back. Were they loosening?

On the screen, Marluxia materialized in front of Zexion.

Zexion seemed unsurprised to see Marluxia, but the older man immediately began to speak to him. At first, Zexion shook his head in a negative, but the longer Marluxia spoke, the more amenable Zexion became, until the younger man stopped Marluxia with a raised hand and nodded once.

Wave strained to hear the topic of their conversation, but the monitors were muted and no sound came from the camera feeds.

* * *

Kairi fell to her knees, panting. Both the feeling of danger and the feel of Sora's hand in hers were stronger, but she couldn't find him.

A memory flashed through her mind.

_A young blond girl looked sadly at Riku. "I'll put him to sleep here... but I don't know if he'll ever wake up."_

Riku looked at Sora, sleeping quietly in a white flower-shaped pod.

Another boy with silver hair, dressed like Riku, came up behind them- the Riku Replica. He put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't say that, Naminé. Of course he'll wake up."

"Get out of here!" Riku shouted. "You- fake!"

The Replica looked startled. "Hey... that hurts... since I'm you and all."

"Who asked you anything? I bet you can't even feel anything real anyway- what with your fake heart and your fake memories!" Riku lunged for the Replica, and Naminé grabbed his arm to hold him back.

"Riku, please, it isn't his fault!" she begged. "He wasn't even conscious when it happened!"

"And whose fault was that?" Riku snarled, knocking Naminé to the side.

She looked up at him with fear in her blue eyes. "Riku..."

"Don't take your anger out on Naminé!" the Replica pleaded, quietly adding, "If you want to hurt someone, hurt me."

Moving faster than the eye could see, Riku had the Replica in a stranglehold against the wall, one hand crushing his windpipe and the other holding his sword against the Replica's neck.

Naminé looked away. The Replica closed his eyes and dropped his own sword. It hit the ground with a clatter.

The sound broke through Riku's rage. He let the Replica slump to the floor.

He buried his face in his hands, then realized they were shaking; he was shaking. "I need to get out of here."

Naminé helped the gasping Replica upright. "That'd be best."

Riku turned away. "Tell me if... there's anything I can do... to help."

"I will."

Wave rubbed her wrists, trying to get circulation back, and stood. _Marluxia made a mistake, leaving me here by myself. _

She drew Hidden Verity. _I'm not the helpless little girl anymore._

* * *

_Ugh... My head aches. What happened? Where's Kairi?_ Riku looked up. There was a soft glow from behind one of the pillars, and he could see someone's sneaker sticking out.

He ran over. It was Haruto, unconscious and covered in dirt and dust. He shook Haruto. "Wake up! Where'd Kairi go?"

Haruto coughed, and his eyes flickered open. "Kairi...?" He sat up, grabbing Riku's arm. "Riku, I found Sora!"

"Sora? How do you-"

Haruto shook his head. "It doesn't matter now. He's almost awake! He needs his memories back _now,_ or he'll wake without them."

"But we can't find him, or Wave for that matter without Kairi. And if he wakes without his memories..."

"He is the perfect target for the Organization." Haruto dissolved and Riku spun to see a young man with hair that faded from silver to dark blue, holding a heavy open book.

He snapped the book shut. "Hello, Riku. Or should I say, Riku _Replica?_"

"Where's Kairi and Haruto, Zexion?" Riku snapped, his voice hard.

"With Sora, I'd expect. But aren't you forgetting someone? Someone... important?"

"She's important to me," Riku admitted, drawing his katana, "but I have a feeling you know where she is!"

Zexion paged through his book. "I have someone else I think you'd like to meet." A figure stepped out of the air in front of Zexion.

Riku stumbled back in fear, then stopped, steeling himself. "You caught me off guard last time. You're nothing," Riku grunted as he swung his katana, "but an illusion from my memory!"

The figure, a blond woman with jade-green eyes, jumped aside, easily avoiding the strike. "Oh, my dear boy. Your memory can still _hurt_ you." She lashed out at Riku, sending him flying.

He struggled to his feet. "I'm not afraid of you anymore."

Larxene smiled. "You aren't afraid?

_"You should be."_

* * *

**"Here, Kairi. Hur-!"** Her connection to Sora abruptly cut off.

Kairi raised her keyblade and pointed it at the wall. Light shone, and the wall disappeared.

As she walked through the newly revealed doorway, still half blinded by the change in light levels, Kairi tripped and fell on her face.

_What did I trip over? _

Her eyes were level with something familiar. Kairi slowly sat up and saw with growing alarm that what she had tripped over was Haruto's still form, arm still outstretched as if reaching for something. Just past his fingers was the object she had first seen- a star-flower, made of yellow and pink seashells, a smile drawn on it.

"No..." Still in shock, Kairi picked it up and winced as both Sora's and her own memories of the Thalassa shell Wayfinder flashed through her mind.

_This is my lucky charm._

"Be sure to bring it back to me..." she whispered, rubbing the worn shells between her fingers as if that would bring Sora back.

**I will! I promise!**

The memories were all there now, but Kairi had the sense they were tangled, interconnected in ways they were not meant to be, even her own, relatively untouched memories.

She had no idea how to put them back together again.

Haruto moaned, breaking Kairi out of her trance. She turned to look at him, brushing aside his hair to look at a bleeding cut on his forehead, one he had obviously got when he fell, and a lump on the back of his head, the cause of his unconsciousness.

Still scared she'd make it worse, she carefully placed her hand on his head, and the green magic twisted down her fingers, healing the gash above his eye and the lump on his head. At the same time, the black dye faded out of his hair.

_I guess magic doesn't like hair dye,_ she thought dryly, then stopped, the sight triggering a memory. _Wait... Oh no..._

He suddenly came fully awake, blue eyes wide and staring. "What? What am I...?" He saw the Wayfinder in Kairi's hand and spun around on his hands and knees. "No..."

Kairi followed his gaze. An open, white, flower-shaped, pod stood in the middle of the room, empty. A white headset, disconnected from a computer bank, lay discarded on the floor.

"Sora...?" Kairi reached out, her fingers feeling only a void where she had been sure, so sure, Sora was.

"They did it. They actually did it," Haruto breathed.

"Who did what? Haruto, what are you talking about?"

Standing, he grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. "No time. We need to hurry if you want Sora back."

* * *

Wave ran through the halls just as Kairi had been doing, but unlike Kairi, she knew where she was headed.

She ran out into the main entrance hall and came up short. Marluxia stood there, weapon drawn.

He smiled. "I've been waiting for you."

"Get out of my way!" _Where's Riku? He should be here._

"No." Running forward, he sliced down, forcing Wave to jump back.

She kicked out at him, hitting him in the stomach and knocking him back.

After a second, he got up. "You've changed."

"I know."

She blasted Marluxia with ice.

* * *

Riku leapt back as Larxene threw Thunder at him.

She laughed. "You've gotten better!"

He swung his katana, but Larxene easily avoided the strike again.

"Silly boy! You think you can defeat me?"

Panting, Riku wiped his forehead. "I will rescue her! I... I made a promise!"

* * *

Haruto and Kairi ran through the halls and down the stairs.

As they ran, she watched Haruto. Not only had his hair and eye color changed, his whole attitude had subtly changed, becoming more serious and determined than before.

"Have... we met before? I mean... before you joined us?" she asked, between pausing for breaths as she ran. _It can't possibly be him..._

He shook his head. "Not face to face, no."

"I feel like... I know you from... somewhere. And is that... your natural hair color?"

"Focus, Kairi. Focus on Sora right now, not me."

* * *

Wave pointed Hidden Verity at Marluxia.

"Ice Storm."

The energy built up around her, her hair whipping her face in the sudden icy wind, ice forming in her hair and in the wind, creating icy replicas of her keyblade around her. She unleashed them, and Marluxia fell to his knees, mortally wounded.

"No... How could I... lose?"

* * *

Riku knew it was over as he felt Larxene's knives slip past his guard.

"No... I failed you... Naminé..."

He fell to one knee, supporting his weight on his katana, driven into the floor.

* * *

Wave stared in horror as Marluxia's form dissolved... to reveal Riku.

Riku looked at Wave. "So... it was you all along. I should have known... that he was playing tricks on me..."

Materializing, Zexion looked at her coldly.

Riku struggled to his feet, his hand pressed to his wound. "Zexion, fight me. Don-Don't hurt her any more."

"You? Don't make me laugh." Zexion gestured and another illusion appeared on the field, this time a copy of Wave.

Illusion Wave easily knocked Riku's katana aside and kicked him, sending him flying into the wall.

Wave gasped, and Riku looked at her. "Don't interfere! Get away!"

Despite his order, she couldn't move. Her keyblade, Hidden Verity, fell to the floor.

He stood, again and again, each time getting knocked aside... but each time getting a little closer to Zexion.

By the time they were face to face, both combatants were breathing heavily, but Riku was horribly pale.

Zexion was forced to drop the illusion at Riku's next slash and block the attack with just his book. "Why... do you keep fighting?"

"For Naminé. So others aren't hurt like her. For Kairi."

"I don't... understand," Zexion gasped as he tried to keep their weapons locked.

Riku looked at him sadly. "You couldn't, could you? You people don't understand friendship, loyalty... love."

He lunged forward, breaking through Zexion's guard, then collapsed.

* * *

As Zexion's body faded away, Wave ran to Riku's side.

She took his hand, pressing it to her cheek. "Don't leave me..." Tears began to leak from her eyes, and the ice frozen in her hair and encasing her keyblade started melting, letting her hair fall unrestrained around her face.

Riku smiled up at her. "It wasn't your fault. How could you have known it was me?" He winced. "But you should have left when I told you. Leave now, before someone else comes."

"I can't just leave you here alone." Wave leant down, and softly, gently, kissed him. Eyes closed, he smiled a little more.

Both heads turned at the sound of running footsteps.

Kairi and Haruto appeared at the bottom of the steps, panting. "There... are... a lot of steps... here..."

Kairi straightened. "Riku!"

Running over, she knelt next to Riku and took his other hand. She willed his wound to heal. The green energy built up around her hands, but his body rejected it, flinging it back at her.

Riku's eyes flickered. "Don-" He stopped, coughing. "Don't waste your energy. Now you know why I don't like healing. Besides... I already know I'm dying, Kairi."

"Why did you lie to me?" Kairi asked, a sob half-buried in her voice.

Riku looked confused for a moment, then his face saddened. "The Replica. You found out while I was unconscious." He sighed, then coughed again, his eyes losing some of their brightness. "Naminé and the real Riku asked me to. I didn't want to lie to you, but seeing how happy you were... It made me feel wanted, and not just 'that junk we picked up at Castle Oblivion.'"

Wave squeezed his hand. "I don't think that. Not any more."

He seemed far away, only half hearing her. "Still... shouldn't have done it. Tell Riku I kept my end of the deal- he'd better do the same."

His eyes closed slowly.

"Naminé... Kairi... Thank you for always being there for me... See you again... sometime..."

Wave threw her arms around his neck, and started to cry harder. Starting at his feet, the Riku Replica's body transformed into green data, the ones and zeros vanishing almost as soon as they appeared. The last of the data coalesced into a yellow star that fell into Wave's lap.

She picked it up and held it gently. "He kept it all this time..."

_I never realized how much it meant to me, always having him there, being kind when no one else cared._

And I treated him so coldly. 

* * *

Haruto gasped as if he was going to say something, but stopped.

"Tell me, how do you feel about our bargain now?"

Wave and Kairi turned and saw on the other side of the room, the real Marluxia holding his blade to Haruto's neck. "He's next. Then her." He pointed to Kairi and a pair of black Heartless appeared behind her, taking and holding her hands behind her back.

"Please, no one else has to die..." Wave begged. Marluxia just pressed harder, causing a line of blood to drip down Haruto's neck. Kairi fell to her knees as the Neo-Shadows bore down on her shoulders.

"Don't do it," Haruto ordered, but Wave shook her head.

_The pain slowly went away when I went numb... froze my feelings. It hurts to thaw again... but, maybe... _

"I am so sorry," she whispered, sounding broken, "but I can't let anyone else die." She looked up. "I'll do it, Marluxia. Let them go."

_...maybe... the pain means I'm still here. That's good, right?_

"Do what?" Kairi asked, trying to free herself from the Neo-Shadow's grasp. "Wave, what else have you not told me?"

Wave took a deep breath. "You remember how we told you about Nobodies like him? Well, I'm one too. My name is Naminé, and I have complete control over Sora's and anyone close to him's memory."

"Yes, and she will do exactly as I say."

Wave nodded sadly, and closed her eyes, falling into the memories buried within the heart.

"You're the one!" Kairi realized. "You're the one who made all those changes in the memories!" _The blond girl, where I knew I was..._

Wave was too deep to hear her. She examined the few chains of memories left.

_What? I don't understand. What is this computer code doing here? It looks like..._

She opened her eyes. "I can't. There's already something there. I can't change it."

"What?" Marluxia snarled. "Do not lie to me, girl!"

Wave shook her head, falling to her knees. "I'm not. Zexion betrayed you. The last memories are infected with a virus. I can't change them."

"When did he have time to do that? No matter. You will all pay for Naminé's failure!"


	18. Just A Dream?

**AN: As an aside, Haruto can mean "Sun, or distant, combined with soar, fly" and Minoru can mean "Truth". According to Behind the Name on the Internet anyway. Surprisingly, neither is an OC of mine, but you'll have to wait to see who they really are underneath their disguises. Sorry this chapter is so random... I almost feel like I should just not post it. But then I'd have to edit it out...**

***KH and Disney are still not mine. Please Rate and Review!***

* * *

**-Part 18: Just... A Dream?**

The young man with silver eyes looked at his hands. He turned them over and over again and rubbed his fingers together. There was supposed to be something in his hand... Something important...

Ahead of him, Demyx sighed. "Will you please just hurry up? I'm not supposed to let you wander about in the dark corridor for long."

_"Yes." _

Demyx jumped at the sound of his voice. "Gah! That is _so_ creepy! Don't talk without warning me!"

His silver eyes unblinking, he ignored this illogical request and continued walking.

Demyx muttered to himself, "We need to get _there,_ so I can get back _here_ and pick up what we need. Ugh, so much _work..._"

* * *

Wave struggled to her feet and the world blurred around Kairi. She gasped, a wave of nausea sweeping over her, then the Neo-Shadows pulled her head up.

_Sora...! What is..._

Suddenly very far away and strangely out of focus, she watched Marluxia gesture: their lives for the keyblade. Wave handed over her keyblade to Marluxia.

He smiled and Haruto's unmoving form fell to the ground, his neck twisted at an impossible angle.

Wave fell to her knees next to Haruto. She looked up, fresh tears staining her face, and screamed something at Marluxia, but Kairi couldn't hear her past the ringing in her ears. Wave lunged at him, her only weapon gone.

Her body fell next to Haruto's.

Gesturing for the Neo-Shadows to let go, Marluxia took Kairi's chin in his hand. Kairi tried to twist away and he let her go, raising his scythe.

It came down on her.

_I don't want to die!_

* * *

Kairi woke herself with a scream. She glanced around her very own room. She was sitting in her own bed, with her own blankets grasped tightly in her hands.

_My... my room... How did I..._

Her mother opened the door slowly. "Kairi, dear, are you alright? I heard a scream." She noticed Kairi's trembling and came to sit next to her. "Was it a nightmare?

Kairi's shoulders heaved and, rubbing her eyes, she realized she was crying.

Her mother wrapped her arms around her, pressing Kairi's head into her shoulder and softly brushing the back of Kairi's head. "Shh... It was just a dream. It's okay, it was just a dream."

Relaxing into her mother's embrace, Kairi's sobs quieted into hiccups, making both of them laugh a little.

Her mother hugged her again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kairi shook her head, and her mother stood, patting her gently.

"Well, get your sleep. It's good you're feeling better, but you need your rest so you can go back to school tomorrow."

Something about this statement seemed strange to Kairi. School was off on weekends. "Go back to school? What do you mean, 'feeling better'?"

Her mother sat down again. "Kairi... you've been very sick-"

The mayor, her father, knocked on the doorframe. "Can I come in?"

Kairi's mother nodded and he sat down on Kairi's other side.

He put his arm around her shoulders. "How's my little princess feeling?"

"Dad, what's going on?" Kairi tried to pull away. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Kairi, three days ago, you collapsed on the way home with Selphie. Do you remember that?"

_When Sora reached out to warn me._ "Yes," she said aloud. "But I don't see-"

"Please, let me finish. That night, talking about Riku, you went to the children's island. You must have spent the whole night there, because that's where Wakka found you, unconscious by the waterfall. You were soaked to the bone by the storm. You've been asleep the past two days with a high fever. We were so happy when your fever broke this evening, and so, we let you sleep naturally the rest of the night."

"No... That isn't right..." Kairi said, searching her memory. "I... I left, and I found Riku... We were looking for Sora..."

Her father shook his head. "I'm sorry, but the doctor said you might have had some vivid dreams because of the fever. Remember, Riku died three years ago. It was a freak accident."

"Sora, what about Sora?" Kairi was close to tears again.

Her mother and father looked at each other.

Her mother put her hand on Kairi's arm. "Kairi, there isn't anyone called Sora on the islands and there never has been. You must have dreamt him."

"No, it can't be! Not Sora!" Pulling away from her foster parents, Kairi ran from the room.

* * *

Morning found her huddled with her big sheepdog, Delmar, for warmth out on the dock. She watched the sun rise over the ocean, a fiery warmth dyeing the ocean red.

_Like blood,_ she thought darkly.

In the light of day, her parents' story seemed to make much more sense than her own memories. She rubbed Delmar's ruff.

_I mean, a giant key? What person in their right mind would believe that? It must have been the fever._

Just to make sure, Kairi held out her hand. Nothing appeared.

_It doesn't work. So what? It's not like it was real, anyway. It was just a dream ...but... somehow... I'm still disappointed. If the keyblade wasn't real, neither was Sora._

At the top of the path, Kairi looked back at the sun. Something inside her broke and tears started running down her cheeks.

Sensing her sadness, Delmar licked her hand, and she knelt and buried her face in his fur.

* * *

A new student came to school the day after Kairi went back.

His name was Minoru and he seemed to be Kairi's age.

He had grey eyes, so light that they were almost silver, and coppery brown hair that tended to fall over his eyes, like he hadn't cut it in a long time. He never spoke, but managed to get away with it since the teacher never called on him.

Kairi was gathering her schoolbooks when she accidentally dropped her school bag and everything fell out.

"Oh, shoot."

Someone gently tapped her shoulder with a book. Kairi looked up to see Minoru standing over her, holding her math notebook. His smile was soft and seemed oddly familiar to Kairi.

She blushed. "No, no, it's fine. I can do it."

He put the book on her desk and knelt, gathering her scattered pens and pencils as he did so.

Both reached for her English book and their hands brushed.

White. A white room- no, a white space closing in around her. She can't breathe, she's trapped, she can't move. Numbers fly by, barely visible outside. Something holds her head still. A call: _**Ka-**_

Kairi pulled back as Minoru winced, pressing the heel of his hand against his head.

"Are you okay?" Kairi reached out to him, but he brushed her hand away.

He nodded, but didn't speak as he gathered the rest of Kairi's things and passed them back to her.

"Um, bye..." Kairi stood and watched him leave, realizing something. When he had brushed her away the second time, he made sure not to touch her again.

_Why?_

Kairi felt the unease she had felt since waking get stronger. _Something isn't right..._

* * *

"Mother, could you tell me where Wakka found me again?" Kairi asked over dinner that night.

"Dear, do we really need to to speak about this again?" When Kairi continued to stare at her, her mother sighed. "That night, talking about Riku, you went to the children's island. You must have spent the whole night there, because that's where Wakka found you, unconscious by the waterfall. You were soaked to the bone by the storm. You were asleep the past two days with a high fev-"

"I know that. Why does it sound exactly the same as what Father said?"

Her mother blinked. "Does it? I'm sorry, dear, I'm not seeing the problem here."

Standing, Kairi shoved her chair back. "Never mind. Please excuse me."

* * *

The next day, Kairi confronted Selphie. "Selphie, what's going on? Please tell me you know what happened the night after I collapsed."

"Sure, well, um... talking about Riku, you went to the children's island. That's where Wakka found you, unconscious by the waterfall."

"How did you know that? I never mentioned Riku to you."

Selphie shrugged. "So what? I fail to see the problem. You were talking about him after you collapsed. Oh, look! Hey, Minoru!" She grinned at Kairi. "I heard he helped you."

Kairi ignored her friend and ran to catch up with Minoru. "Please, wait!"

He turned to look at her.

"Minoru, I wanted to ask you something-" She stopped.

White. White surrounding her. Gentle waves caress her cheek. She knows this should be comforting, but the restraints keeping her from thrashing about make her nervous. As if through a staticky connection, Kairi can hear someone calling for her.

_**Kairi, oh please ... wake up! ... losing the only ... I have left!**_

Dreams...

Kairi blinked. Minoru stared at her. Suddenly they were the only ones on the beach. He looked incredibly familiar, like a dear friend who had been gone for a long time and only just returned.

"Not... a dream..." Kairi whispered. She gripped his arm. "It wasn't a dream! What did you do to me? Where am I?"

Minoru winced at her touch. _"How..."_ His voice, harsh and digitally distorted, broke. _"How... did you... figure it out?"_ His image blurred, like there was interference, then vanished.


	19. As They Wake

**AN: Oh, man I am so sorry to everyone watching this! I completely forgot I was going to upload the last few chapters! X_X**

**I've already written the chapters, so they can't really be edited, but I will take all constructive criticism and apply it to the rest of my writing... Perhaps I'll even completely rewrite this one at a later date. It really needs it for clarity.**

***KH doesn't belong to me. Please review!***

* * *

**-Part 19: As They Wake**

"Kairi, wake up!"

"Kairi!"

Kairi coughed, expelling liquid from her lungs, and opened her eyes to dim fluorescent light and a grey ceiling.

Blue eyes stared down at her from a pale face. Metallic-tasting rainwater dripped off her rescuer's shaggy hair and fell on her lips.

Kairi rubbed her eyes. Her voice came out in a broken rasp. "Ha... Haruto... What are you... I watched you..."

"No time. I don't know what you saw in there either, so don't ask. I didn't come to rescue you, but now it seems my mission will have to wait. Can you stand?" Without waiting for her answer, Haruto wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to her feet. "Watch out for the glass."

There was a lot of broken glass on the floor. Kairi heard it crunch under Haruto's booted feet. She looked down at herself and realized her clothes were in a horrible state. Her dress' hem was tattered and her shoes were shredded.

"Where am I? What... What happened?"

The world was still fuzzy, but Kairi could see some sort of pod, its clear cover looking like it had been smashed with tremendous force. _The glass?_

"Lean on me. We need to get out of here _now._"

Kairi nodded and Haruto led her out to the base of a white and grey stair, which Kairi looked at in trepidation, but he led her across the landing to a platform. He gestured, and it began to move down.

Kairi slumped to the floor. Watching the floors pass made her dizzy, and instead she focused on Haruto.

He had changed, of that there was no doubt. He stood with one hand half open, ready to call his keyblade and fight at a moment's notice. His eyes no longer shifted color and in the depths of his blue irises, only a hint of silver remained. But the most noticeable change was his hair color. No longer disguised by hair dye, it was a honey gold color, a few shades lighter than brown.

He wore a white jacket with loose sleeves and an abstract black and red pattern on the back and the ends of the sleeves. Under it, he wore a simple grey-green t-shirt and loose grey cargo pants, though his tall boots were black and clearly of different quality than the rest of his clothing.

Had he always had them? Kairi thought he had. If not, he must have acquired them recently. It would take a lot to surprise her now.

They stopped and he gestured. "Get off here. Go down those stairs; you should find Nothing's Call and a bridge across to the Brink of Despair. Just walk across; it's safe enough. I cleared the area of Nobodies, but you'll have to hurry before they send more. There are Heartless out in the city as well, so be careful, though, with your Keyblade, you should have no trouble."

"But I can't use..." Kairi trailed off, remembering her attempt.

Haruto shook his head. "Try again."

Kairi held out her hand. Golden light surrounded it, and in a sudden rush, her new keyblade, Heart's Guardian, appeared. "Why..."

"They were most likely suppressing it with your memories. It's tricky to use a non-data keyblade in a data world anyhow. They're very unpredictable."

Kairi looked up. "How would you know that?"

He gave her a little wave. "Be careful out there. Wave- Naminé is tracking me. It shouldn't be too hard to find her."

"Wait a second, where are you going?"

"To finish what I started." He half-smiled, then he was gone.

* * *

Axel slammed his hands down on the desk, confronting Saïx. "Saïx, I don't like this. Why would you send him to speak with Kairi?"

Papers rustled as Saïx moved them. "We need to find out how much she knows... and how much they remember. If she was left as she was, it wouldn't be hard for her to finish recollecting Sora's memories."

Straightening, Axel folded his arms. "What if she already has?"

There was silence as Saïx paused. "Then she will never get the chance to return them. She'll be... happy where she is."

"Her friends will come looking for her, you know."

Saïx's pen clicked as he set it down on the desk. "Axel, you sound almost worried. Need I remind you, there is no need for that sort of display. Pity, hate, fear... They are all _human_ emotions."

"I'm not worried about her. I'm concerned about the security of the Castle."

"Don't be. We have the Dusks and Rinzler. They will keep anyone out."

"Rinzler? I thought both him and CLU were being detained in the cells."

"Yes, well. The Superior ordered them released, CLU to assist with the repurposing. He seems to have taken an interest in CLU."

"Mmm." A non-committal sound. Axel spread his hand. "And the other? It wouldn't be difficult to program the-"

"You know what to do. We have what we want. He can be of no further use to us. In fact, for CLU, he is a danger."

"You sure have accepted him quickly."

"If you are implying that I might not carry out Xemnas's orders..." Saïx let the threat hang in the air between them.

Turning to leave, Axel didn't respond at first, then stopping at the doorway, slowly, "And Sora? Was it really necessary to have him destroyed?"

"Do you now question _my_ orders?" Saïx began, but he was interrupted as someone brushed past Axel, their footsteps hurried. Axel brushed the viscous liquid that clung to his coat off onto the floor. The newcomer was soaked in the stuff.

_"Saïx, Kairi remembered."_

Saïx's chair squeaked as he stood, shoving it backward. "That should have been impossible, Minoru. You should-"

The computer on Saïx's desk chimed. There was a pause as Saïx read the message.

"There's been a change of plans. Minoru, I need you to head to the computer lab; someone tried to hack the computer, seemingly to free Kairi. Find the intruder."

_"Yes sir."_ Minoru's robes rustled as he bowed and left.

"How do you think they got past the Dusks?" Saïx asked Axel rhetorically.

"I have my suspicions."

"As do I." Saïx's pen tapped absently, then he snapped his fingers.

There was a _swoosh_ and Axel sensed the familiar sensation of a Dusk materializing. The creature chittered, its telepathic voice echoing as it spoke to Saïx.

_Yes, liege?_

"Escort Minoru to apprehend the intruder. _Do not_ harm him. Do not hesitate to attack any Samurai the intruder may have control of."

_Yes, liege._ The Dusk vanished the same way it had appeared.

"Axel, remember what I said. I need to make sure that nothing else goes wrong." Saïx's boots clicked on the floor as he paced, then he suddenly turned and shoved past Axel, adding quietly to himself, "This shouldn't have happened."

Axel turned his head as the sound of Saïx's footsteps echoed down the hall.

"The heart is a mysterious thing... _Isa._"

Saïx stopped suddenly. "If you persist in this deliberate belligerence, Lea, there will be consequences."

"What are you accusing me of? Having a heart?" Axel snorted, his voice caustic. "Oh, I'm _sure_ that's it. Aren't I special? Thanks, _friend._"

The silence that followed was long; their one-time friendship worn thin by bitter words and the ravages of time.

"You've changed," Saïx said finally. "The Axel I knew would never disobey a direct order."

"Is that what this comes down to? You're going to order me?" Axel shook his head. "Yes, I've changed. But so have you. A real friend would never order me to do something like that."

He turned, walking away so that Saïx wouldn't be able to reprimand him, and leaped over the side of the walkway. He spread his arms and legs, trusting in his senses to allow him to land on the walkway below.

His feet hit the ground with a dull thud. Axel winced. Three years ago, he would have landed with nothing more than a whisper. Time and disuse had dulled his reflexes.

He began to walk, no plan in mind except that something had to change- and it wasn't going to be him.

* * *

Kairi stood and began to make her way down the stairs. Feeling her strength returning, she started to run, taking the stairs two at a time. This place somehow scared her more than Castle Oblivion.

_I hope Haruto will be all right. Now, to find my way out of here..._

Her flight was halted as she ran headlong into another person, tripping and knocking both of them over.

The man was tall and lanky, with long red hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. As he turned towards her on his hands and knees, confusion in his bleached green eyes, Kairi realized where she had seen him before.

She scrambled to her feet, backing away. She wondered if she could possibly get away fast enough now that she was on his home turf. The keychain on her keyblade clinked slightly against the hilt, the keyblade's weight reassuring.

Axel's eyes widened slightly. "A keyblade...? Then you must be..."

"Kairi," Kairi said, still holding her keyblade in a defensive position. "And you're Axel." Aerith's warning echoed in her mind. _Axel... Thirteen ... Don't trust him..._

Climbing to his feet, he smiled charmingly. "So, you remember me from the last time we met."

"I remember you tried to kill me."

Axel shrugged. "I never meant to kill you, or anyone else. I just wanted to see how you'd react. Look," he spread his hands, "I'm unarmed. I won't hurt you, so why don't you put that keyblade of yours down and we can talk."

"About what?" Kairi asked guardedly, lowering her keyblade.

Axel tapped his foot. "I didn't hear your keyblade hit the floor."

"You didn't... I'm not disarming myself in the middle of my enemy's stronghold."

"Well, then you're going to miss out on this opportunity to see Riku."

"But... Riku's dead." Kairi had fight back the sudden surge of tears. "I saw him die in Wave's arms."

"You mean the Riku Replica? Yeah, that was a shame. I almost wish..." Axel spread his hands. "Well, it doesn't matter now what I think."

He stepped closer. "Don't believe everything you hear, Princess Kairi." He vanished, then reappeared next to Kairi's shoulder and spoke quietly in her ear.

"I can take you to him. Forget that other boy. He's far beyond your reach now. But you can save Riku. Just come with me." Axel vanished again and reappeared down the corridor.

Waving slightly, he added, "Oh, and Rinzler's coming. You may want to take this chance to leave, if you're not coming with me."

With a start, Kairi realized directly behind her was where the bridge was supposed to be.

_Should I trust him? How can I?_

After a last look back at Axel, she ran to the bottom of the ramp. Only a shimmering surface hinted at the bridge she had been told existed, but she could see the dark form of Rinzler now, striding down to meet Axel.

* * *

Axel turned towards Rinzler's soft tread. "Rinzler, what are you doing down here?"

"I am to patrol this area." His digital voice held no emotion.

"You want to know if I've seen anything suspicious, right?" Axel said, his tone bordering on insubordination. "Well, I'm terribly afraid I haven't. See you later!"

His insolence was lost on the program. Rinzler ignored him and moved onto checking the perimeter.

Walking up the ramp, Axel hoped Kairi had gotten away safely.

He had not been lying; he truly didn't want her caught. He was beginning to realize that she might be the only way to escape the web they were caught in, as well as allow him to atone for his mistakes.

Meeting with her had decided what part of this he could change- to give Kairi a chance to make things right.

* * *

Kairi reached the base of the ramp only to find Wave, DiZ, and Quorra in a heated argument.

"Now I need to fix this mess you've created, Naminé."

"I tried! I didn't see you doing anything!"

"Guys, what's going on?

DiZ turned away, ignoring Kairi. "What's done is done. At least we don't need to deal with that Replica any longer. Come, Quorra." He gestured to the raven-haired woman. Quorra looked upset, but she slung the backpack sitting at her feet over her shoulder and followed DiZ up the shimmering bridge, casting one last look back at Wave and Kairi.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kairi put her arm around Wave, who had gone pale at the mention of the Riku Replica.

Wave wiped her hand across her eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. Why don't we," she paused, swallowing. "Why don't we go and sit down."

* * *

When they were sitting on the steps underneath a towering skyscraper, Kairi waited to speak until Wave had composed herself.

"Wave, please tell me what's going on. I saw you, Riku, and Haruto get killed, then I woke up in my own bed. I- I think there was someone else- But Haruto said some pretty cryptic stuff when he woke me again. How much of that was real?"

Wave bit her lower lip, looking down at the ground, then said quietly, "I'm sure almost all that was a dream created by them, but... Riku did die. I held him and watched the life seep out of him myself. You tried to heal him. And Haruto slipped away from our party sometime after DiZ and Quorra saved us."

Kairi stopped her with a wave of her hand. "Wait, what? When did they save us?"

Wave looked at her. "I'm so sorry, Kairi. Marluxia kept us busy long enough for them to get away with you and Sora... DiZ didn't want us to follow you, but Haruto snuck off anyway. I've been tracking him for the past two days." She grasped Kairi's arm.

"Kairi, there's something wrong with him. He didn't come after you. He kept repeating something about a promise he made, like he thought he'd forget it. I'm afraid he's after revenge."

"_Revenge?_ Why?" Kairi could hardly believe it... but Haruto had been acting so strange...

Wave sighed. "I can't believe I didn't realize it before, but he's-"

* * *

Haruto spun, his keyblade slicing through the Dusks. Behind him, he flinched each time his Samurai were cut down by stronger Nobodies, even as he tried to lose himself in the dangerous dance of whirling blades.

Leaping, eyes closed, he landed in a crouch in the center of a clear circle.

_"So. You're the intruder."_

Standing, Haruto slowly opened his eyes. "And you're their new puppet. Tell me, what is your name?"

The young man standing before him pulled off his hood, revealing a face with flat silver eyes and long coppery-brown hair. _"Minoru." _

"No, it's not. I know you. And you should know me, but I guess you wouldn't remember."

He was right. No spark of recognition lit Minoru's silver eyes. _"You will come with me, __**Roxas.**__"_

Haruto shook his head. "No."

_"No? You have no __**choice.**__ You __**will**__ come with me."_ Minoru held out his hand, tendrils of grey slowly beginning to swirl around his palm.

Haruto winced as pain shot through his thoughts. Behind him, another Samurai went down. "R- Roxas is... gone. You destroyed him when you took away everything I cared about!" Eyes half shut in pain, he held out his own hand, Sun's Memory taking shape in a flash.

A keyblade formed in Minoru's hand, its blade grey and translucent, ghostly tendrils flowing around it. It looked wrong and sick, like it wasn't meant to exist, and its shape shifted constantly, unable to settle on one set form.

Minoru's face twisted into a snarl that looked alien on his gentle features as he lunged at Haruto. _"What can you know about caring?"_

"What can _I_ know? Do you remember what's important to you or did they take that as well?" Haruto yelled back, locking blades with Minoru.

Minoru faltered, confusion crossing his face for a half second. _"Wha-What?"_

Haruto used the moment of distraction to step closer, bring more weight to bear on his keyblade. "I remembered what's important to me. I choose to do this because I promised her, and that promise means more to me than anything!"

Minoru struggled to free himself, but the twin blades were locked together.

"Remember, Minoru! You must have _that_ memory!" Haruto pushed the blades down, pressing them against Minoru's neck. "Don't be their puppet any more!"

Minoru gasped, and dropping his blade, kicked Haruto in the stomach, sending him flying. Haruto hit the ground and slid to the edge of the platform. He stood slowly, his breathing heavy.

Minoru spread his hands. _"I'm not a puppet, Roxas. I'm no one. I'm not wanted. They took me in, gave me a place where I can be useful. There's only one person I care for- and you took her away from me! You're only here to get rid of the loose ends."_

"That's their lie. I didn't take her away, but I've met her, the girl I know you care about. She's searching for you. And so are your friends." Haruto raised his hand and blasted a ball of bright energy at Minoru. Rather than try to avoid or deflect it, Minoru raised his hand and the light collected in his palm. He thrust out his hand, reflecting it back at Haruto.

_"You'll have to try harder than that!"_

Haruto threw up his hands and the light flowed down him, dissipating into the air.

_"If I have friends, where are they now?"_

"They're coming to rescue you. Fight it!" Haruto shouted, ducking to avoid a strike.

_"You lie! You're here to destroy me."_

Haruto gasped, Minoru's blade inches from his face. "You don't need to do this!"

_"You're wrong. I do. They'll save her, the only person I remember. She'll be here soon. You will no longer keep her hostage." _

"What?" Haruto's eyes widened. "Who are you-"

Minoru twisted his blade a last time, sending his opponent's blade flying, and brought his other hand up to connect with Haruto's head. At the same time, Haruto's last Samurai lost to a Berserker, breaking his concentration.

The blow struck home.

Haruto fell and Sun's Memory skidded across the floor and off the edge, falling into the oblivion below.

Minoru knelt next to Haruto and hoisted his still body onto his shoulders.

Minoru's silver eyes closed. _"I'm coming for you, Naminé. I'll save you."_

* * *

"He's-" Wave started, but a yell interrupted her explanation.

"You get back here! How dare you get so far ahead of us!"

"Gawrsh, Donald, I don't think-"

Coming towards them was a short white figure in blue robes and a tall black one in armor and green clothes, a helmet perched precariously atop his head.

"Um, Wave?" Kairi stared at the pair. "Is that a duck?"

"Yes."

"And that's..."

"Yes it is." Wave stood and gestured to the pair. "Meet Donald and Goofy, of Disney Castle."

The pair bowed, and Kairi waved weakly.

"Hey, guys..."

She turned to Wave. "What are they doing here? I thought other people weren't supposed to know about..." She gestured helplessly. "...all of this."

Wave sighed. "Yes, well. They're the ones who found me. They were traveling with Sora. It's all vague to them, but they want to help anyway."

"So... Are you saying we could have had their help this entire time?"

Wave looked annoyed. "I didn't want to wake them before fixing Sora's memory. It could cause irreparable damage, but I have no other choice."

"Gawrsh, please, don't fight." Goofy looked so forlorn that Kairi had to drop the subject.

* * *

"Hello." The silver haired man opened his eyes, revealing disturbingly golden irises.

Axel threw something at him through the cell bars. "Get up, Ansem. You're needed."

Ansem looked in astonishment at what Axel had thrown in his lap.

"What?" He looked up again, but Axel was gone.

* * *

Some time later, Kairi was staring up at the base of the castle she had just escaped from. Wave had told her that it was known as the Castle That Never Was, in the World That Never Was, a world made of stolen hearts, yet devoid of any life except the Nobodies who had constructed it.

The dark city was empty, lit unnaturally by neon street signs advertising to the non-existent population. Bitter and metallic tasting rain fell reluctantly on the group, creating constantly shifting puddles. The only source of semi-natural light was a yellow moon, shining down on them through the ever-present clouds.

Wave seemed reluctant to look at it, and as of yet, Kairi had been unable to get a good look through the cloud cover, but the yellow light seemed to get under her skin in a way she couldn't explain.

Kairi shivered and sneezed. Goofy kindly offered her a handkerchief and Kairi took it gratefully.

"Nami- Naminé..." Kairi started, stumbling over the unfamiliar name, but Wave shook her head.

"Please, don't call me that. It brings back... painful memories."

* * *

"Hey, there's no need for that!" Demyx stepped back.

His hooded attacker did not answer, just pulled his hands apart, revealing a katana concealed in his dark coat. Its hilt and sheath were dirty and scuffed, but its razor-sharp blade shone silver.

"You're not one of us..." Demyx's eyes hardened. "So that's how it is. You will not leave this castle alive! Come to my aid, water!" He summoned his sitar and a wall of water took shape in front of him.

It didn't stop the man from plunging his blade into Demyx's torso.

Demyx gasped, looking at the blade imbedded in him. Dark tendrils were already seeping from the wound. "What? But- that's impossible... You didn't even- who are you, really?"

The man removed his blade and Demyx slumped to the floor, his body dissolving.

Sliding the katana back into its sheath, the man clenched his teeth.

"I am Ansem. That's all you need to know."

* * *

When Kairi and her group reached the top of the ramp, someone was waiting for them.

A tall man with bleached blond hair and neatly trimmed beard stood at the top, casually playing with a deck of cards. Seeing them, he snapped the fan of cards closed and threw one at Kairi.

Moving with inhuman speed, Wave grabbed it out of the air before it could strike anyone.  
Luxord snapped his fingers and it vanished from Wave's hands.

"Hello. You must be Princess Kairi."

"Hello..." Kairi replied carefully.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid this is as far as you will get. You see, as we speak, the final pieces of our plan are coming together. We don't need you anymore."

The blood drained from Wave's face. "No... You couldn't have."

Luxord smiled. "Oh, yes, Naminé. Kingdom Hearts is almost complete. Now, how about playing a game with me? Winner goes free, hm?"

He threw his cards again in a rapid fire attack. Wave threw up her keyblade to deflect them, but several slipped by, cutting shallow slashes across her arms and face. They formed a ring around Kairi, Donald and Goofy, catching them within a circle of giant cards.

Kairi pounded on the wall. "Wave! Wave, we're trapped!"

Wave glanced back, momentary panic flashing across her face, then turned back to Luxord.

"That's not fair, Luxord."

"Oh, really?" He smiled and gestured. A giant row of cards flew up from the ground, threatening to slice Wave in half.

Wave dive-rolled to avoid the attack, coming up next to Luxord. She swung her keyblade, planning to cut him in two.

Suddenly, she flew backward, the world blurring around her. She barely avoided being cut in half, and suddenly, Luxord was behind her.

"I think it is. I make the rules here." He smiled, and Wave blanched. He had reset time.

* * *

Kairi pounded on the walls surrounding her and Donald and Goofy, but they didn't yield. _I hate this, I hate this, I hate this! Why can't I do something to help?_ She sank to her knees, hands and forehead pressed to the wall. _I want to help!_

Suddenly, Kairi's hands began to glow. She stared at them in amazement as golden light spread from her fingertips, highlighting every fissure and weak point in the wall of cards. She closed her eyes and _pulsed,_ sending pure light through the dark barrier. It shattered, falling to the ground in pieces.

**"Illumination,"** she whispered.

* * *

"Coward!" Wave spat, wiping the blood from her mouth. "Fight like a man!"

Luxord rolled his eyes. "I _am._ Perhaps you should fight less like a little girl."

Wave yelled, rushing at him, but he reversed time again, sending her flying.

Wave crashed into the wall of cards just as it disintegrated. She looked up at Kairi standing there, the glow from her hands slowly creeping up her arms.

"Um, you don't happen to know how to turn this off, do you? It's getting... kinda weird." Kairi shook her hands, trying to shake off the glow.

Wave shook her head, and Kairi reached down to help her up.

Kairi's hands passed through Wave's.

Wave gritted her teeth. "No! Not now!" She closed her eyes, concentrating, and the glow in Kairi's hands lessened a bit. Wave's hands flickered, then steadied. A shallow gash on Wave's cheek scabbed over and several bruises vanished completely, but her face grew even paler.

Breathing hard, Wave climbed to her feet. "Go, Kairi. I'll deal with this myself. You need to find Sora and stop them from finishing Kingdom Hearts!"

"But-!"

Wave looked at her. "I don't exist, remember?"

"Wave-!"

"Just go."

Kairi tried to hug her, but her hands passed straight through the other woman.

"Don't you disappear on me! We'll all go back to the Islands together- You, me, Sora, Riku, Haruto- we'll all make it back!" Kairi swallowed, trying not to cry.

Wave looked at her, her eyes sad. "Go, Kairi, and take the others with you. I'll be fine."

"You're not going anywhere," Luxord called, but Wave stepped in front of him.

"You're not leaving." Wave closed her eyes, her feet rising off the ground as the icy wind swirled around her.

Luxord tried to step forward, but his feet were frozen to the ground. His eyes narrowed, and hundreds of Gambler Nobodies answered his call.

Donald took Kairi's hand and pulled her away. "Come on. We need to keep moving."

* * *

Wave closed her eyes as the tears ran down her face, the icy wind around her freezing them as soon as they left her eyes.

_I'm sorry, Kairi, but I can't come back with you._

This really is goodbye.


	20. The Hollow Hearted

***KH doesn't belong to me!***

* * *

**-Part 20: The Hollow Hearted**

Two levels above, Kairi stopped, a sharp pain in her heart. Suddenly, it felt like the world was narrowing around her. "No..."

Her connection to Wave was fraying.

_Wave, please, don't disappear,_ she prayed. _We're going back, all of us._

"Kairi?" Goofy turned back, but Kairi waved him on.

"I'm- I'm fine. Let's just keep moving, okay?" Kairi sniffed, and angrily swiped her hand across her eyes.

* * *

"Hand me that cable," DiZ ordered, not even looking up from the panel he had open.

Quorra looked at the tangle of cables in her hand, sighed, and made an educated guess at which one he wanted.

"Here, is this the one?"  
Annoyed, DiZ looked up and yanked the cable he wanted out of her hands.

Quorra sighed again. _If he hadn't saved my life when CLU was persecuting those who sided with the Keyblade Masters... and the users; taken me in..._

"Master DiZ?" she asked hesitantly.

He grunted, and Quorra took that as permission to speak.

"Master DiZ?" she asked again. "This looks like the digitizer from the lab."

"It is," he said shortly.

"Um, what are we digitizing?"

"Hmm..." DiZ didn't reply, but looked up at the sky, adjusting the placement of the laser. "Too many clouds... We have plenty of time."

He turned towards her. "What do you think? I'm going to digitize my student's monstrosity and put it somewhere safe."

Quorra's eyes widened as she realized what DiZ meant to do. "But... that's madness!"

"Madness?" DiZ seemed to ponder that. "Perhaps."

"You never meant to help us, did you? You're just after your revenge."

DiZ didn't answer, just held out a hand. "Next cable."

Quorra threw down the cables she was holding. "I'm sorry, I can't be a part of this anymore. This isn't what you taught me!" She spun and ran down the stairs.

DiZ shrugged, turning back to his work.

"What are you doing?" a newcomer asked, his tone not friendly but not antagonistic either.

DiZ turned. "What? I thought you were dead."

The newcomer tilted his head sideways. "Huh? How come you know me?"

In reply, DiZ took off his mask, revealing a man with shoulder length blond hair and close cropped beard. His eyes remained a dark orange, however, and the rest of his clothes didn't change.

The newcomer stepped forward, as if to embrace him, then stopped.

"I thought you were gone, Ansem."

"I do not go by that name any longer. Since my apprentice stole and defiled it."

The newcomer watched DiZ with unreadable eyes.

"No, of course you don't."

Suddenly, he smiled. "I missed talking to you after you vanished."

DiZ knelt, embracing the small figure before him. "And I missed you, King Mickey."

Mickey laughed, returning the hug. "I'm glad to see you're alright." He stepped back. "But why aren't you in Hollow Bastion? They need you back."

DiZ stood, looking up at the balcony above them. A tall man stood there, his silver hair fluttering in the wind, as he waited for the clouds to clear away.

"I have unfinished business, Mickey."

* * *

CLU stood uncomfortably in the dead silence, his fingers reaching nervously for the sleeve of his robe, then stopping, remembering his composure. The man standing in front of him, staring out at the grey sky, stood with his back to CLU.

He was about CLU's height, his silver hair cut in short layers. When he spoke, his voice had a calm assurance not unlike CLU's own.

"So. You are CLU." It was not a question, and CLU had to force himself to not answer.

The man turned. CLU bit his lip apprehensively. The man's face was not unlike his old user, and by extension, CLU himself, right down to the golden yellow eyes that watched CLU with an unnerving gaze.

The man gestured for CLU to join him. CLU obediently joined him out on the balcony overlooking the empty city.

"The World That Never Was... An apt name, don't you think? A world that never was... For those who would never exist." The man turned to CLU. "You are required to follow your user's instructions, are you not?"

"To a point," CLU agreed.

"Good." Suddenly, he spun and kicked CLU in the stomach, sending him flying.

"What was that for?" CLU demanded, struggling to his feet.

The man flicked his wrist and a blade of red energy blazed to life in his hand. He slashed at CLU, who ducked, removing his disc from his back. CLU used his disc to parry the next wild slash.

The man looked at him past the red glow of his blade. "Go on. Get angry. Attack me."

Realizing he was being tested, CLU stepped back, snapping the disc back into place.

Apparently bored now, the man turned away, the blade in his hand vanishing.

CLU waited a second, then lunged at him, removing his disc at the same time and preparing to strike.

The man vanished, then reappeared behind CLU, the red blade in his right hand across CLU's neck, trapping him.

"Good. Good. Fascinating."

CLU twisted, trying to get out of his grip, but the other man simply knocked CLU to the ground. A second blade blazed to life in his left hand, and he plunged it into the ground next to CLU's neck. CLU could smell the stench of burning hair as the crimson blade burned through his long hair, cutting it as short as the other's.

The man looked down at him. "Cunning as well. You are a most interesting program, CLU." Deactivating his blades, the man stepped back, allowing CLU to stand.

"Now, as your user, I require you to tell me everything you know about this... DiZ."

"You're not my user."

"But I was. Listen." The man slowly repeated the pass codes CLU had heard so many times on the Grid.

"You know the pass codes required to release that information," CLU admitted. "And the resemblance is uncanny... Are you one of those strange creatures my user spoke of, creatures that seek out hearts?"

"A Heartless? No, we are not the Heartless. We are those who do not exist, an interesting side effect of the Heartless." Possibly realizing that he was rambling, he stopped.

"But what I am is not important. What is important is what this person is doing. Tell me everything about DiZ and his compatriots."

CLU took a deep breath and began.

* * *

The man nodded. "I see. So that's where my old master has been. He's been busy. And he thinks I don't see him down there, playing with his little toy. And that nosy king... Well, there is nothing they can do now."

"Xemnas."

Both turned. Saïx stood in the door.

"Are we ready, Xemnas?" he repeated. "Roxas has been neutralized by Minoru." Saïx hesitated. "Sir, Axel has gone missing, and so have the two prisoners. Also, Luxord and Demyx have both failed to reappear. The Proof of Existence- their markers are red."

Xemnas turned back to the sky. "One of the prisoners is below with my old teacher."

"Sir? Should I go down there?"

Xemnas shook his head. "No. Let them try- their paltry attempts cannot stop us. Besides, I am authorizing you to find Axel and return him to us."

Saïx nodded. "Sir." He paused. "Sir, how long until Kingdom Hearts is ready?"

"Soon. Very soon." Closing his eyes, Xemnas raised his face to the sky.

"Clu?" he said after a pause.

"Yes, sir?"

"I want you to go deal with Roxas, like before. Saïx will explain what needs to be done."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Axel stood outside, feeling the rain on his face. He almost missed seeing the rain falling- but then he remembered how bleak and colorless this world was.

He sighed.

It was on days like this he missed Radiant Garden, missed his friends... missed his sight.

He frowned at that thought. When was the last time he had truly felt nostalgic? How much of that unconscious thought was simply habit, left from years of pretending?

"Axel?"

Axel turned at the sound of Kairi's voice.

"Hello. I see you've got my name memorized."

* * *

As Axel turned towards Kairi, she was again struck by how lifeless his pale green eyes were.

His hair was coming out of its tie, falling around his face like he didn't care anymore, and as if he was tired of the charade, he did not smile as he greeted her.

"Hello. I see you've got my name memorized." His face tightened. "But I don't sense the girl with you. Or... Riku."

"Wave stayed back to fight Luxord." Kairi swallowed. "She'll catch up. But Riku's here?"

Axel rubbed his chin. "No, not even he would be that stupid... Would he?" He shook his head. "Come with me. If we hurry, we can save him."

"Axel, where are you going?" Kairi called, rushing after him. Donald squawked in frustration, but Goofy just sighed and followed the pair.

"We're going to where CLU is." Axel shook his head, his long stride lengthening into an almost run, allowing for Kairi's shorter height. "I didn't expect him to try something so idiotic, but if he's not with you, then he'll be there."

They ran out onto a balcony. Above them, the sky was beginning to clear, and a tall man stood on another platform above their heads. He looked nearly identical to CLU except he was dressed in the black cloak of the Organization and his silver hair was cut short and ragged, a bit shorter than his shoulders.

On a similar balcony across from Kairi and her friends stood a blond man, dressed like DiZ without DiZ's mask. And next to him was...

"King Mickey!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed.

Axel hit his head on a pipe and muttered something under his breath. "Who can you see? Do you see Riku?"

"No," Kairi admitted, peering across the gap. "I don't. Why are you asking me? Don't you know what he looks like?"

"I don't," Axel growled.

"How can you not-"

"I can't see him, all right?!" Axel snapped. "I can't see him, or you, or the stairs, or that stupid pipe I keep hitting! I'm so sick of this! It's been like this ever since..."

"Since...?" Kairi asked.

"Since Castle Oblivion, three years ago. During a fight, against Marluxia, I slipped. He blinded me, and took advantage of Sora's confusion to use Naminé and her sketch book as a hostage." Axel closed his eyes and shook his head. "I couldn't let him do that. I _couldn't._ He was a traitor and needed to be eliminated. But he... He destroyed the sketchbook and the memories tied up in it snapped.

"I did this. My failure... If I hadn't failed, they wouldn't have pressed the Replica project so hard. They- my friends- would still exist. Sora would be awake now." He slammed his fist into the wall. "I failed everyone."

"You don't know what would have happened." Kairi reached out to comfort him and gently placed her hand on his arm. Axel tensed, then relaxed when he realized it was just Kairi. "You don't know if it would have been better."

Donald tapped his foot impatiently. "This is nice 'n all, but shouldn't we be _**stopping the Organization?!**_"

"Uh, guys...?" Goofy pointed up. "D'you think that could be Riku?"

Another tall man with long silver hair was running up the stairs. He was nearly at the top.

Kairi squinted. "I don't know. I can't see his face."

"That's him," Axel confirmed. "He's the only one I can't really sense. Let's go."

"What do you mean?" Goofy asked, following Axel.

"Riku's become difficult to sense recently. It's almost like he doesn't know who he is anymore. I wonder if _his_ memory loss is affecting Riku too."

Kairi's heart sank. _Did my collecting all those memories take them from others? And if I don't have Wave's help, how am I going to put them back?_

"It's not your fault, Kairi. We did this. You're just putting things back where they belong."

* * *

Haruto screamed as he awoke. _No! I never wanted to do this again!_ He staggered to his feet, leaning against the wall.

_"Get out of my way." Haruto's hand drifted out, ready to grasp his keyblade's grip._

Axel sighed. "Look, I know how this probably looks..."

"Axel, you know what?" He walked up to stand next to the other man. "**I don't care. **_You let them erase my memories. You _**let **_her disappear."_

_Axel gestured helplessly. "I didn't know what Xemnas was going to do. I never would have brought her back if I had. By that logic, you're just as guilty as I am."_

Haruto began to laugh, a bitter, pain-filled sound. "Yes, yes I am. But now I will set things right."

Axel grabbed his arm. "Don't do it. They'll destroy you if you're alone."

He turned an empty smile on the other man. "Who says I'm alone?" He yanked his arm out of Axel's hold and walked away, leaving Axel behind. 

_"Take the memories away again!"_ Haruto shrieked. _"I don't want them!"_

I want to be... with you two.

"I don't want her _memories..._" He began to sob. _I want _**her**... _I want us all to go and have ice cream together..._

-Roxas, this will be easier on you if you don't fight it. Just let go.-

"I'm not Roxas!"

-Quiet, Roxas. Accept it.-

Haruto slumped to the floor. "I'm not really here. My body's somewhere back in the Castle, isn't it? This is all in my head!"

-This isn't in your head, Roxas.-

"Yeah? Then where am I?!"

-You've been digitized. We can wipe and rewrite you like a faulty hard drive.-

"No! You can't do that!"

-Watch me.-

Haruto curled up in a ball, covering his head with his hands.

_Clear contents of R:/memory? Y/N?_

Y

"I won't let you!"

_File(s) cannot be removed. Try again?_

Y

"You can't do this!"

_File(s) cannot be removed. Try again? Y/N?_

N

"You can't take my memories!"

_Make files hidden?_

Y

Haruto slowly uncurled, his eyes unfocusing. "You... can't... make... me..."

_Commence installing new function data?_

Y

His body fell limp, his sightless eyes turning silver.

* * *

CLU stared at the results of his work. He had repurposed many a program, but this was only his second user. That error had been new. He hadn't had so much trouble with the other. Although, he considered, he had not needed to clear the other's memory first. It had already only contained what they wanted.

CLU sighed, wondering if this was bringing him any closer to his user's ultimate goal: the secrets contained in Kingdom Hearts. Now he was so close, he was beginning to see what exactly had fascinated his user... and he was becoming fascinated himself.

* * *

Kairi carefully stepped into the hall, looking around. It was as silent as a tomb, the portals with the Organization's sigil on them glowing faintly. Only three remained a soft blue. The others glowed a blood red color, and several were damaged. They were arranged on a series of stepped levels, the numbers engraved on their bases corresponding to their placement in the room.

Kairi began counting. "One, two, three..."

Axel put his hand on her shoulder. "This is the Proof of Existence. There's one for each member, excepting Xemnas. The red ones' members have been erased."

Kairi recoiled from the stones, covering her mouth. "Then..."

"I, Axel, and Roxas are the only ones who remain."

They looked up. A tall man with broad shoulders, long blue hair, and an imposing demeanor made more so by the the 'X' shaped twin scars crossing the bridge of his nose, stood at the top of the steps.

"This as far as you go," he announced, stepping away from a blue portal with 'VII' on the stone tablet at its feet. He sneered down at them, Axel in particular. "You. Why would you destroy our carefully laid plans like this?"

"Saïx!" Axel called. "Saïx, Xemnas is insane. His plan will never work. Get off your high horse and help us stop him."

"I know."

"You- What?" Axel was taken aback by Saïx's response.

"I know he is not sane. Anyone who spends time around him could tell that. But his plan _will work._" Saïx gestured to Axel. "Do you not want your heart back?"

Axel gritted his teeth. "Not like this. Not like this, Isa. Did you ever stop to think how many lives we're destroying, how many people we're dooming to live like us?"

"Inconsequential. Most of them were Heartless already. In their cases, I would think we are doing them a favor, freeing their hearts like this. In fact..." Saïx raised his hands, and Heartless oozed out of the walls. "In fact, we can kill two birds with one stone here."

He pointed at Kairi, Donald and Goofy. "Destroy them."

The Heartless forced the trio out of the room.

He turned back to Axel. "They will destroy Heartless until the Heartless destroy them. We get the hearts we need and get rid of that irritating Keyblade Princess at the same time."

"I didn't want to do this, Isa, but you've forced my hand." Axel tackled Saïx, sending them both flying through the blue portal behind Saïx.

* * *

"Ah!" Kairi fell back, her back against Goofy's and a hand clamped over the papercut-like slash on her upper arm. Green light leaked out from under her hand, and when she took it away, the cut was gone. She could feel the constant healing draining her energy, and she wished she could sit down and rest for a bit, but that wasn't likely to happen in this battle. She would just have to fight until she was completely exhausted, and if that happened before they destroyed all the Heartless, she would become easy prey.

She supposed for her that would mean going into a coma-like sleep until her heart was returned, like what had happened before, but Donald and Goofy would simply become Heartless. She couldn't allow that. She couldn't allow any more people to get hurt.

Kairi looked at her hands, still glowing faintly. Could she repeat the feat she had accomplished earlier? Closing her eyes, she laced her fingers together.

_Please work again..._

Opening her eyes, she raised her hands above her head, an orb of pure energy taking shape between her hands.

**"Illumination!"**

* * *

Wave's eyes flickered open. The spillover from Kairi's Illumination flooded her body, healing her visible wounds, but not the invisible ones. She was unable to absorb into her system more than a little. She slowly sat up, looking at her hands. They were still translucent. Wave bit her lip, fighting back tears.

She was fading, and there was nothing she could do about it.

A rough gloved hand yanked her to her feet.

* * *

Axel and Saïx tumbled back through the portal. As soon as they were clear of the entrance, Saïx threw Axel across the room. Axel slid, disoriented, and Saïx climbed to his feet.

Axel slowly stood, one hand against the wall. "I don't want to hurt you. We were friends, once."

Saïx just stared up at the sky. "Once," he echoed. He turned his head to look at Axel.  
"But you've forgotten what that means. It means _loyalty._ It means _trust._"

Axel shook his head. "Maybe it does, but that isn't all it means. A friend is someone to have ice cream with. A friend is someone you can laugh with, _and_ cry with. A true friend will stick with you, no matter what." He clenched his hands. "And that's what I intend to do. I haven't been a very good friend in the past, but I'm going to change that."

"Why are you still on about the Replica? It was a failed project, nothing more. It's good it was absorbed by Roxas. Its remnants make him that much easier to control."

"Isa, she was more than that. She was my _friend,_ and his too!"

"Stop calling me that!" Saïx snarled. "You made your choice. I no longer consider you my friend."

"We haven't been friends for a long time."

The clouds broke, and under the pale yellow light of the moon, the two drew their weapons.


	21. Empty Threats

**AN: Whoo hoo, almost done! Prepare for the epic-final-boss-battle! Well, not really, 'cause I'm bad at fight scenes. I ****_hope_**** it's epic.**

**I feel kinda bad about the way I pretty much destroyed everyone's lives in this story. Especially Axel and Roxas and... well pretty much everyone. Everyone's changed because of the event that took Sora away. I guess it goes to show you how much of an impact one person can have-especially if that person's someone like Sora. :)**

**Based on events near the end of KH2... sort of.**

***KH still doesn't belong to me, and I don't have any OCs in this story! Please enjoy and review! *humming to myself****

* * *

**-Part 21: Empty Threats**

_"I finally found you... Naminé."_

Wave felt her limp body being lifted, and she slowly opened her eyes. A face she knew was looking down at her. He was smiling, but something seemed wrong, even obsessive, about the smile that did not reach his eyes.

She stared up at those silver irises and wished she had made a different choice three years ago. She was too weak now to stand, and the only thing she could do was press her hand against his forehead, praying it wasn't too late.

* * *

Axel stumbled back, and Saïx pressed his advantage, bringing his claymore down on his one-time friend's chakrams.

"Your 'friendships' have corrupted you, Axel," Saïx hissed at his former friend.

"No. They've helped me see. Everything you've been doing is wrong."

Axel lunged at Saïx and missed. Saïx spun, whipping his claymore around, and sent Axel flying.

Axel hit the ground with the wind knocked out of him. He struggled to stand as Saïx opened his arms to the sky as the clouds cleared.

Sensing his opponent's growing strength, Axel threw out his own arms, gathering elemental fire.

"Hyagh!" both shouted, one flaring cold blue, one fiery red, and raced at each other.

"This-"

"-Will decide it!"

* * *

Suddenly, Kairi, Donald and Goofy were alone in an empty circle about three meters wide. The Heartless seemed to be afraid to set foot within the area cleared by Kairi's Illumination.

"Oh... look... it worked..." Kairi stumbled, barely able to remain on her feet. _There's no way I can do that again any time soon._

Is this it?

* * *

Ansem fell against the wall, gasping for air. His body was deteriorating and he knew it was only matter of time now. He had pushed it too hard, first destroying Demyx, then running up here like he was still healthy.

Somewhere below him he heard a shout, "Kairi, look out!" then a scream.

He looked over the edge to see Kairi with a white duck and black dog, trapped in a slowly shrinking ring of Heartless.

Something flashed through his mind- _Kai- I... ...tect... "You can't-"_ and he winced. _I can't abandon her. Not like-_ The thought stopped, teetering on the edge of the void in his memory.

**Hah. Keep deluding yourself. You'll never make up for what you've done.**

_Shut up. I'm done listening to you._

He clenched his shaking hands into fists, then ran and leaped off the edge.

* * *

As the smoke cleared, Axel and Saïx lay on the ground, inches from the other, yet unable to move. In the confusion, neither knew who had first dealt a mortal wound, but the results were clear.

Axel looked in Saïx's direction. "I... wish... it could have... ended better... Isa..."

"You... traitor..." Saïx gasped.

Their bodies faded away, even as the last of the clouds fled the sky.

* * *

Xemnas turned. "CLU, dispatch Rinzler."

"Sir?"

"Dispatch Rinzler. Saïx has fallen, and the fool failed to end that Keyblade Princess' existence."

CLU nodded. "Yes, sir."

* * *

Quorra was lost in the winding corridors of the castle when she saw Rinzler dash by her.

"What?" _What's he doing here? Where's he going?_

Quorra ran after him.

* * *

Kairi fell backward and threw her arm up in a futile attempt to protect herself from the Neo-Shadow. _I can't do anymore. I'm sorry, Sora, guys._

The end never came. Kairi opened her eyes to see the Neo-Shadow dissolving. A tall man, dressed in a black coat the same as the Organization's, stood over her. He had long silver hair, and as he turned back to her, katana in hand, she saw he had golden eyes.

"Ansem!" Donald quacked accusatorially. "What are you doing here?"

Ansem looked back at the duck. "Saving you. What does it look like?"

The duck raised his fists. "We don't need _your_ help!"

"Gawrsh, Donald..." Goofy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Didn't that blond girl say somethin' about-"

Ansem raised a hand. "Don't you think this little squabble can wait? If you didn't notice, we're surrounded by Heartless."

Donald scrambled to his feet. "Hey, they're your creatures. Can't you call them off or something?"

Ansem surveyed the mass of Heartless, something distant and unreadable in his eyes. "The Heartless take orders from whoever they believe is the strongest. Someone else is directing them, and if I did try to control them, I don't believe they would accept me. They would turn on us."

Suddenly, the lead Heartless stiffened, sniffing at the air. One of the Shadows turned back and chittered to the others. They began to melt back into the darkness, apparently deciding that it was no longer worth it to stay there.

Ansem frowned. "Strange..." He strode over to the staircase, looking down over the edge. His back stiffened, and he turned away. "You don't need to worry about the Heartless any longer."

Kairi tried to see past him, but he shook his head.

"Kairi... You don't need to look."

She ignored him, looking down over the edge. Below her, Saïx and Axel lay unmoving on the ground, their bodies fading away.

"He... He sacrificed himself for us," she whispered. "He knew we couldn't defeat Saïx as well as Xemnas... And I thought he was trying to betray us..."

Ansem rested his large hand on her shoulder. "Kairi, the sky is clearing."

Kairi looked up at the sky. The clouds were disappearing around the castle, revealing the source of the golden moonlight.

A huge golden moon hung in the sky, its shape like a heart. Kairi shivered just looking at it. Something about it seemed wrong, but she couldn't figure it out.

"Kingdom Hearts," Ansem whispered, awe in his voice, "or at least an extremely exact facsimile. It _is_ impressive."

Something in his words or voice reminded Kairi of the last time she had heard the name Ansem. _Kingdom Hearts..._

She stepped back and away from him, his hand falling off his shoulder.

He turned back. "What's wrong, Kairi?"

She closed her eyes. "Don't call me that..." Her eyes flew open, her hands making fists. "When do you have the right to call me by my name like that?!"

"You never objected before."

"You... You caused this! You took Sora and Riku away! If you hadn't..." Kairi shook her head, the sudden realization hitting her. "Look, I remember you now! You wanted my heart!"

Ansem winced like her words were causing him physical pain, but he turned away and she couldn't read his expression. "Then you won't object to me leaving you here, then."

"What are you doing?" Kairi demanded.

"I'm going to atone for what I've done." He ran up the steps, never turning back.

Kairi stared after him.

She shook her head and started up the stairs after him, telling herself, _I'm not doing this for that man. I'm doing this for Sora, and Wave, and Riku, and Haruto- all those who've been hurt._

* * *

Quorra ran faster. Rinzler was just ahead.

She turned the corner to see Ansem, his katana locked with Rinzler's discs.

Rinzler jumped back, throwing his disc, and Ansem raised his katana to deflect it. His reaction too slow, it only changed the disc's path slightly, causing it to cut across his cheekbone and open a shallow gash. Dark blood oozed sluggishly from the cut, and he impatiently wiped it off.

The second disc whizzed by, cutting a slice that caused his blade to fall to the floor, the severity only lessened by his thick cloak. Ansem hissed, clutching at the gash on his upper arm.

Quorra interposed herself between the two combatants.

Ansem looked at her. "What-"

Quorra shook her head. "Go! I want you to stop CLU and Master DiZ before they destroy us all!"

He nodded once. "I was planning on it."

"Then go on! I'll hold off Rinzler!" She looked at him. "Are you going to do it?"

His face set hard, he turned to leave. "If I have to."

"Then... this is goodbye, huh?"

Ansem didn't answer, just ran.

* * *

_"Naminé, you have to let go of me."_

Wave forced her eyes open. It hadn't worked. She had just lost consciousness again.

She realized her fingers were locked in a death grip around Minoru's shoulder. He carefully pried them open, one by one, then gently put her down.

Xemnas stood on the other side of the open area. "I am not going to ask why you brought her here. You are far too attached to this girl, Minoru. I should..." a blood red blade sprung to life in his hand, "I should destroy her."

Minoru spread his arms protectively. _"I'd rather you didn't."_

"Sir," CLU spoke up. "Destroying the girl might have an adverse effect on the both of _them._"

Xemnas closed his hand, the energy blade dissipating. "I see. Well, it looks like she won't be an issue for much longer either way."

"Xemnas."

They turned to see another man with dark skin, yellow eyes, and silver hair.

"You're the imposter." Xemnas looked at him in disinterest.

The imposter raised his katana threateningly. "You will return Roxas and Sora to me and dismantle this Kingdom Hearts of yours."

"Or what, you misguided fool? You'll destroy us? You can't do that. You can barely stand. I find it difficult to believe Roxas was bested by you." Xemnas folded his arms. "Give up now. That way, you'll live long enough to see the new world begin."

The imposter shook his head. "Never, Xemnas. I will never listen to you."

CLU stepped forward. "Sir, let me deal with him."

Xemnas looked at CLU. "You are sure? Very well." He turned away and gestured. A grey throne took shape in front of him and he took his seat, casually lounging; yet, from his position on the throne, he somehow still looked imposing and indifferent, as hard and unyielding as the white and grey stone that his castle consisted of.

"You may begin."

CLU drew his disc, and the imposter raised his katana in a defensive stance.

* * *

Quorra was fighting for her life. Rinzler was better than her- much better.

She grunted as she blocked an attack. He followed up with another from the disc in his other hand, and she fell back, unable to land an attack of her own between his frenzied strikes.

_Please hurry..._

* * *

Kairi ran, almost taking the stairs two at a time in her haste. Behind her, she could tell Donald wanted her to slow down, but he also seemed to understand this was important. Goofy easily kept up with her, his long legs taking the two, even three, steps at a time in stride with no problem.

_Sora._

Her feet ached.

_Riku._

She had to keep going.

_Wave._

Her feet hit another step, and she hurried to the next.

_Haruto._

Her foot landed awkwardly and she nearly fell; Goofy steadied her by her elbow.

_Axel._

How much longer could these go on?

_Aerith._

She was at the top. Only a little bit more...

_I promise you... I will save everyone._

* * *

Ansem fell back. CLU grinned and raised his disc, but Ansem gathered his strength and responded with a flurry of high speed attacks to drive CLU back.

CLU growled and threw his disc, rolling under Ansem's next strike.

Ansem ducked to avoid the disc and CLU knocked his legs out from under him, making him sprawl flat on the ground.

"Die!" CLU brought his disc down, and Ansem barely rolled out of the way, the disc slamming into the ground next to his head.

Ansem rolled to his feet, standing shakily. Two CLUs threw their discs to attack, and he shook his head, trying to clear his blurry vision.

_My eyes... they won't focus. Which of then is real?_

He dived out of the way, but he could feel the real disc bite into his uninjured arm. He fell backward. _Wha... What..._

* * *

"Mickey, go check on that." DiZ gestured towards the sounds of fighting going on behind them.

Mickey took one last wary look at his old friend, and nodded. "Alright, but just... don't do anything while I'm gone, okay? I don't like this plan of yours..."

* * *

Kairi rushed into the open space, the sudden change in light blinding her momentarily. When her sight cleared, she gasped. It was a large circular area, open to the air. The Kingdom Hearts moon shone on the grey ground, and a silver haired man, very much like CLU, reclined on a grey throne, watching CLU and Ansem fight each other.

Ansem stood, swaying slightly. CLU threw his disc, catching Ansem off guard and knocking him backward. He stumbled back, falling to his hands and knees.

No matter what she thought of him, he _had_ helped her and it hurt Kairi to see another person in pain when she could help.

She knelt next to him and pulled up the sleeve on his injured arm. He had a thick bandage around his left wrist and unhealthy-looking dark scars running up his arm.

He blinked up at her, his eyes unfocused and glassy. "What... are you..."

Kairi put one hand on his forehead and one on his exposed arm. "Hush, I'm going to heal you." Green light enveloped her hands and twined around his head and arm. The sluggishly bleeding cuts on his arm and face healed, leaving silvery scars, and the pain seemed to lessen in his eyes. She frowned at the dark scars, but they didn't fade.

Kairi tried to pull away, but her hands remained frozen as images began to flash through her mind.

"What do you think is beyond these islands?"

"I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

_His own hands, strangling the Riku Replica. He dropped the Replica, revulsion welling up inside of him._ What have I become?

"I need to get out of here."

_Naminé looking up at him, fear on her face. She knelt next to the Replica. "I think that'd be best."_

Haruto- no, Roxas- Roxas faced him. "You can't stop me!"

"Is that all? I thought you were stronger than that."

_Roxas frowned. "Get real! Look which one of us is winning!" His hand flew to his mouth, like he had not known he was going to say that._

"DiZ was right. You really are his Nobody."

_"What are you talking about? I am me, nobody else!" Roxas drew a white shining keyblade, rushing forward._

His eyes refocused and he seemed to become more aware as Kairi felt the memories rushing into him. This time, when he spoke, his voice had changed, becoming softer and less adult. "Kairi... Didn't I tell you not to follow me...?"

Kairi stared at him, at the familiar voice barely changed by time. "Riku...?"

"Thank you... Kairi, for giving me... another chance." His voice growing stronger, he slowly sat up. "Whatever happens, remember I never wanted to hurt you... Please tell Sora I'm sorry I wasn't there for him." He smiled. "I hope you two will be happy together when you get back to the Islands."

"R- Riku? What are you saying? We're all going back together. It'll be just like before-"

He climbed to his feet, still swaying slightly, and stood for a moment, gathering his strength. Then he strode forward to stand in front of CLU.

"Riku!" Kairi scrambled to her feet. "What are you-"

He withdrew an identity disc from within his cloak and began to activate a series of commands.

CLU's eyes widened, and he stepped back. "You wouldn't. It'll kill you!"

"I know. But I don't have much longer to live either way." Without looking back at Kairi, Riku-Ansem slammed the disc into the ground. White light raced out from him, tracing a complex circuitry pattern on the ground. When it reached CLU's feet, it began to climb up his legs, rooting him in place with vines of data.

CLU struggled to free himself, but to no avail. "You-!"

Riku-Ansem closed his eyes, the white light traveling up his own arms. It spiraled around his heart and traced the same circuitry pattern down his body.

The white light spread until both of them were engulfed in it and Kairi was forced to look away.

When she looked back, all that was left of them was dissipating white digits. A black ribbon lay on the ground, a little thinner than Kairi's hand and long enough to go around her head twice.

She picked it up, knowing as soon as she touched it that it had been Riku's. She tied it around her wrist. Now she had that, as well as Sora's Wayfinder.

The man on the throne stood and folded his arms. "Well, it looks like that is one less issue for me to deal with. You, my dear, have caused me no end of trouble."

"Who are you?" Kairi demanded. "Are you the one doing all this?"

The man spread his arms. "I am Xemnas, Number I of Organization XIII. Welcome to The World That Never Was, the place for those abandoned by all others."

Kairi drew Heart's Guardian, feeling its comforting warmth and heft in her hand.

"I don't care who you are, but you've hurt my friends! I'm here to stop you and save them, starting with Sora!"

"And how do you intend to do that?"

Kairi stopped. She actually hadn't thought past the need to rescue Sora.

Donald spoke up. "If you don't hand him over and stop attacking the worlds, we'll have to defeat you!"

"Defeat me?" Xemnas seemed almost amused by the idea.

"We beat those others," Goofy added, coming to stand at Kairi's shoulder. "We can beat you too."

"Yeah." Kairi smiled at the other two, then faced Xemnas again. "It's just us against you now. No more tricks!"

Xemnas stepped back, the grey throne dissolving. "Oh, but you assume I intend to play fair."

Two hooded figures stepped out to stand on either side of him, one appearing out of a dark corridor and one coming from somewhere to Kairi's right, where he must have been standing.

The one on the left drew twin keyblades, one golden yellow and achingly familiar and the other steel-grey and white, with vicious looking curved edges.

The one on the right drew a grey blade that could have been a keyblade at some point, but it was so corrupted, bits of it actually fading in and out of the grey mist surrounding it, it was impossible to recognize as any specific keyblade.

Both shrugged off their hoods and suddenly, Kairi couldn't breathe.

It couldn't be.

She wouldn't have to fight _him_...

Would she?


	22. Dual Legacy

**AN: Pretty much the ending of KH2... with a twist. I just realized how often my heroes need saving. Bother. I was hoping to NOT do that. Oh well. I wrote this confrontation scene way back at the beginning, but I had to save it for the end. ^_^**

**Xemnas has WEIRD speech patterns. It's hard to capture his tone in writing.**

***KH doesn't belong to me. Please enjoy and review!***

* * *

**-Part 22: Dual Legacy**

The golden keyblade Kairi recognized as Sun's Memory dimmed as the dual-wielding young man swung his other grey keyblade, Thought's Eclipse, around, preparing for a strike with it. His honey blond hair looked bleached in the light from Kingdom Hearts, and his skin was pale and clammy, but it was definitely him.

Kairi stared, her keyblade dissipating. "Haruto? What are you-"

He shook his head, his silver irises glinting as he pointed Thought's Eclipse at her. "I am Roxas, Thirteenth member of the Organization. Surrender now, Kairi, and I promise I will do everything in my power to ensure you won't be hurt."

"You doesn't sound like the Ha- Roxas I knew," Kairi said quietly. "For some reason, I thought he wanted to destroy the Organization."

A brief flicker of confusion flitted across Roxas's face, but he gestured irritatedly with his keyblade and it was gone. "I assume you are not surrendering then."

Kairi shook her head.

Roxas raised his keyblade to attack, but the other young man, the man she had met as Minoru back in the dream-world, put his hand on Roxas's arm.

Roxas nodded and Minoru spun his keyblade, switching to a backhanded grip.

Both of them ran towards her.

* * *

Naminé's eyes flickered open and she staggered to her feet. Kairi was near, and Naminé could feel her power flowing back into the other woman.

As she came around the corner, Naminé's eyes widened. Both of them were here.

She summoned her keyblade, the effort almost causing her to pass out again, but she focused on Kairi and Roxas. If she could only draw on a little bit of Kairi's power...

* * *

Kairi stared at the woman who had appeared in front of her, bracing her keyblade against Roxas's crossed ones. Naminé was even whiter than Roxas, but she held her keyblade tightly, pushing his back until she was able to break free.

Roxas fell back, annoyance crossing his face, and attacked Naminé again. The blond was forced to step back, out of Kairi's sight, as Minoru spun his keyblade to attack Kairi.

Kairi gasped as their keyblades made contact. Minoru was strong, much stronger than his frame would suggest. As their blades locked, he pressed down, driving Kairi towards the ground.

His face, so close to hers, was unmistakeable, despite the changes wrought by the years. Kairi couldn't believe she had ever forgotten it.

His silver eyes were wide, and, if not for the blank expression of hatred on it, his face would have been sweet and kind. His long coppery brown hair looked like it needed a cut, and it had lost some of its vitality, but the determined set of his mouth brought back a vibrant flood of memories for Kairi as connections were reforged within her memories.

Kairi stopped resisting and fell back. He slammed his keyblade into the ground; Kairi rolled away and stood.

She reached out to him.

"Sora..."

_"I am not Sora,"_ he growled. His voice was harsh and distorted, but underneath it all, she thought she could still hear the familiar sound of Sora's voice.

**Kairi, that isn't me anymore. **

Kairi's head shot up. _Sora?_

She felt him smile, even as Minoru's face tightened, getting ready for another strike.

**Don't be afraid to destroy Minoru. He isn't me. I'm with ****_you,_**** Kairi. You've been protecting me, ever since you pieced my heart back together.**

_But, if I destroy your body..._

**I'll be fine. I'm with you, right? That's all that matters.**

_"Hyah!"_ Minoru swung his keyblade, and Kairi ducked.

"Sora, wake up! There must be some part of you left! We don't need to fight! I can put you back together again!"

_"Why do you think I need fixing?! Maybe this is better!" _he shouted back._ "Maybe I like it this way! Do you know what it's like to wake, alone, with no memory of who you are, or why you're alone? To know that someone cared enough to save your life, but not enough to stay and explain why?!"_

He swung again, and Kairi rolled out of the way. He was breathing heavily, and his silver eyes were wide and panicked. _"That's why I wanted Naminé! She knows who I am! She knows... why I'm not the same as the others..."_ His breath caught, and he shook his head. Switching hands, he rushed at Kairi, but he stumbled and fell.

Kairi fell back, his weight on top of her. She could see the tears running down his face that had blinded him and, on an impulse, she looped her arms around his neck, catching him, and brought his face to hers. She could feel him trembling, shivering, as she softly kissed his forehead.

He gasped, breaking away._ "You... You..."_

Xemnas frowned. What was going on over there? There was no way the girl could have...

"Destroy her, Minoru," he ordered.

Minoru stiffened. Kairi didn't move.

"Destroy her," Xemnas repeated. "You have a keyblade- use it!"

Minoru raised his keyblade, his arms trembling.

Kairi closed her eyes.

**Kairi, what are you doing? You can stop him. Why aren't you?**

"Sora, I want us to all go back together. To do that, I-" Her words were cut off in a gasp.

Kairi's back arched as the keyblade plunged into her heart. Her eyes closed.

* * *

She stood on a white surface, surrounded by white. A glowing door beckoned her, and she knew that it was the way out. That was the way back to the world. But... something seemed wrong.

She turned, suddenly hearing the sound of someone crying softly. Another path led out from where she stood, and with one last look back, she ran down it. The light clung to her, making her glow as she ran through it, but she ignored it.

She stopped. She was in the stained glass place again. The glass had solidified, and she could see behind her sleeping form was a group, all laughing and goofing off, like a group photo that hadn't quite come out the way it was meant to.

Wave and the Riku Replica were next to each other, Riku putting his arm around her, and her laughing and pushing him away. Next to them, Haruto was rubbing the back of his head bashfully, while a black haired girl and Quorra giggled, and a blue haired girl and blond boy were barely visible in the back behind the four, waving. In the front were Riku and Sora. Riku was smiling, like he was proud of Kairi, but Sora still didn't look finished, his image blurry and wavering.

Kairi ran forward to kneel next to the unconscious body lying in the middle of the glass, curled up in the fetal position. She gently took his shoulder and pulled him towards her. His head flopped back and she gasped.

It was a young man with long coppery brown hair and a sweet face. He looked exactly like Minoru, but the eyes that slowly flickered open were as blue as the sky.

Sora blinked at her, upside down. "Kairi...?"

Kairi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Sora, you lazy bum. I knew I'd find you snoozing down here."

He smiled. "But I wasn't sleeping. I was waiting for you."

Kairi leant down and her forehead gently rested against his forehead.

"I didn't know it at first, but I missed you," she whispered.

"I know." He smiled again. "I missed you too."

Someone took Kairi's hand and gently pulled her to her feet. Kairi looked up to see Belle smiling down at her. Kairi looked back to see Snow White helping Sora up.

All six of the other Princesses were there, arrayed around the outside of the circle. They each smiled as their eyes met Kairi's.

"We're here to help," Belle said, and the Princesses nodded. Each of them raised their hands, a glowing ball of light forming in them, and tendrils of light began to spiral around Kairi, coalescing around her. She closed her eyes.

* * *

Minoru collapsed, his keyblade clattering away, as Naminé felt a huge surge of power from her other. Good. Then it's done. She dropped her guard, and, startled, Roxas's blade slipped through.

Naminé smiled, and, shaking, he looked down. Naminé's blade had caught him at the same time. Both were mortally wounded. Naminé having sacrificed herself to stop him.

He staggered back, his face clearing as what he had done broke through. "W-Wave...? What have I...?"

Naminé leaned back, bracing herself against the wall. "It's better this way... for both of us."

His blue eyes widened at the wound he had inflicted and he slowly sank to his knees. "W-Wave... I'm so sorry."

Naminé's knees slowly buckled, her back against the wall. "I know. I know. I am too."

"I never... apologized... to her..." He gasped, pressing his hand to his wound. "And now... It's happened again."

Naminé looked up at the sky, wishing she could see the stars. "I'm sure she knew. You have a kind heart, just like... No. You have your own heart... You're not just 'him'."

"If that's true, then... You do too. I'm sure of it. I wish we could have been friends."

"We are." Naminé reached out and squeezed his hand. "See you again?"

He smiled. "See you again."

Both Nobodies' eyes closed as their bodies began to fade away.

* * *

Kairi slowly opened her eyes. She was back in her own body. She opened her closed hands, revealing a glowing light she had been holding tight.

As soon as her hands opened, it lifted out of her hands and Kairi watched as it sunk into Minoru's chest. His eyes flew open and he gasped, reaching out his hand, but the moment of consciousness lasted only a few seconds. His hand fell limply by his side, and his eyes defocused, his pupils disappearing into a grey-blue fog. Next to him, the incomplete grayness of his keyblade melted away, unmasking the gold and silver of the simple Kingdom Key.

Kairi watched him for a moment and was relieved to see his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

"Foolish girl. You've ruined everything."

Kairi looked up, realizing in all the confusion, she had forgotten the man who had orchestrated this.

Xemnas turned to look behind him. "Well, not everything. I still have Kingdom Hearts. That's most important."

Kairi stood and nearly fell. _What?_

She then realized she was no longer in the worn and dirty outfit she had worn since the start of her journey. She was wearing a sleeveless white dress that faded to lavender near the hem and fell just above her knees in front and had a layered train that barely brushed the ground behind her. Arm pieces fell as flowing sleeves from twin golden bands on her upper arms, and a loose purple sash was tied around her waist. Touching her head, Kairi could feel a golden wreath of flowers woven in her hair, and she was wearing golden sandals.

But the thing that was the most different, the thing that thrown off her balance when she had stood, was an immense pair of iridescent wings sprouting out of her back, the feathers shimmering in and out of sight as they overlapped, giving them an ethereal look.

She was a Princess.

Not everything had changed, however. Wrapped around one wrist was still the black ribbon and fastening her sash was the Wayfinder.

Kairi held out her hand, her original keyblade, Oceanlight, forming in her grip. The water-colored keyblade shimmered, reflecting the gold from her dress, as golden light built up around her.

Xemnas held out his hand and his blood-red blade flared to life.

* * *

DiZ felt a pang of regret as the boy he had dragged into this so long ago vanished into white light. DiZ clenched his fist, then slowly opened it.

If it weren't for him, it wouldn't have even been possible for Riku to replace Xehanort, his apprentice, in order to reintegrate CLU. He would have still been the boy DiZ had met four years ago. Riku wouldn't have felt the responsibility to destroy CLU-

-And DiZ wouldn't have felt responsible for Riku's death.

DiZ sighed. He had seen the changes as Riku's memory slowly disappeared, eaten away as Sora's memory fragmented, as he took to calling himself Ansem- to distance himself from his past, perhaps. He had seen Riku becoming weaker from Ansem's influence, watched as he grew older, more exhausted each day.

DiZ had done nothing to halt it. He had encouraged Riku, even.

DiZ turned away, unable to watch yet another of his failures, and his eyes fell on the machine next to him.

He had gotten this far in his plan. He might as well see it through to the end.

Perhaps he'd be able to apologize to Riku-

* * *

Mickey ran around the corner, only to see Quorra knocked to the ground by Rinzler. Quorra was good, but Rinzler was better.

Mickey didn't enjoy fighting- he'd rather that everyone would get along- but he drew his keyblade, planning to jump in and help. As he ran forward, suddenly Rinzler's grip went slack. Quorra hesitantly stepped back.

Mickey slowed. "Tron...?"

The orange lights on Rinzler's suit flickered, turning white, then shut off completely as he collapsed. Still wary, Quorra knelt next to him, but he didn't move.

"He deactivated," she reported, glancing up. "Why..."

Mickey looked up, outside. "CLU must have been destroyed."

Quorra's pale face grew even paler. "No..." She stood next to Mickey, both DiZ's watchpoint and the others' battle starkly clear.

Kairi was watching, disbelief on her face, as the last remnants of white data vanished.

Quorra's hands flew to her mouth. "He didn't... he couldn't..."

"What? You know what happened?" Mickey asked, turning towards her.

She nodded. "He said he was going to do it, but I didn't think... He forced reintegration with CLU... even though it would destroy..."

"Riku..." Mickey finished her thought, saddened that the boy he had seen so much potential in was gone. A thought struck him, and Mickey looked up. "DiZ will have seen that! We need to hurry back to stop him!"

"What?" Quorra asked. "Master DiZ... He's still using that machine of his?!"

"I'm afraid he is. Who knows what will happen? I was trying to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. Losing Riku probably only strengthened his resolve-"

An explosion echoed outside, and both were sent tumbling as the Castle shook.

* * *

Kairi leaped back as a row of red blades flew past her head, leaving scorch marks on the wall behind her. Donald and Goofy ran for cover, Donald quacking spells that failed to hit their mark as he ran, Goofy with his shield over his head.

Her feet left the ground, and Kairi found herself hovering, supported by her new wings. Xemnas threw another row of blades, blinding Kairi as she used her keyblade to deflect them away from her.

She didn't see him until he was in mid air, right in front of her, and by that point it was too late to do anything but try to bring up her keyblade in a futile block. The red blade seared a burn across her arm and his kick sent her flying into the wall.

Kairi fell to the ground as Xemnas gracefully landed on his feet.

Struggling to her feet, Kairi saw with gratitude that Donald and Goofy had dragged Sora's limp body out of the battle area, laying him next to the fading forms of Roxas and Naminé.  
Kairi rushed at Xemnas, and he held up his blades in a block, but suddenly the whole group was thrown away from each other by a bright supernova.

When Kairi's sight cleared, she realized she had landed right next to the edge. She hastily moved away, and saw Donald and Goofy blinking the spots out of their eyes to her right.

Across the area from her, Xemnas was climbing to his feet, a hand over his eyes, and Kairi quickly stood as well.

Dropping his hand, he blinked several times. "What..." His face changed subtly as he looked up. "_No..._"

Kairi realized the itch had been replaced by a feeling that was something like rain on her skin. She looked up. The heart-shaped moon, Kingdom Hearts, was coming down in pieces. Some landed in the city below, some floated away, and some winked out, as if they knew that they needed to go somewhere else.

"Kingdom Hearts..." Xemnas turned back to Kairi. "Now you have destroyed it all."

"I had nothing to do with _that_," Kairi protested, but Xemnas wasn't listening. He vanished, then reappeared next to Sora's limp body.

He scooped Sora up. "I still have the Keyblade Wielder, and with this," a silver disc glinted in his other hand, "I can make him do my bidding. So, perhaps this is not a total waste. It will take more time, but I have all the time in the world to fulfill my goals. You, my dear, have not."

His words were validated as a violent tremor shook the castle, nearly knocking Kairi off her feet. Chunks of masonry fell around them as Kairi's wings covered her head.

"Xemnas!"

The man simply shook his head and began backing into a dark corridor. "You have destabilized this world, Princess, playing with Kingdom Hearts like that. And when I am gone, this castle will fall, and you with it, into the eternally dark abyss of that realm."

His dark face vanished into the corridor.

"Xemnas!" Kairi screamed again, and, ignoring the pain as debris battered her, she dove through the dark corridor after him.

"Kairi!" Donald and Goofy yelled, but she was gone.

"Guys! We need to get out of here!"

Both turned to see Mickey, followed by Quorra supporting the limp form of Tron.

"Your Majesty!" Goofy exclaimed.

Donald frowned. "Your Majesty, what about that DiZ guy?"

Mickey didn't answer, just shook his head.

* * *

Kairi climbed off her knees and looked around. She was in some strange distorted Nowhere, grey walls curving and stretching all around. Ahead was Xemnas, and it almost looked like another, older, bald man was standing with him, but Kairi blinked, and the man was gone. Sitting at his feet however, was Sora, still unconscious and dressed in the Nobodies' cloak.

Xemnas looked up. "You are foolish to follow me in here. Here, I make the rules." He spread his hands and his red blades blazed, then multiplied to surround Kairi. Letting Sora fall to the ground, he stepped back and raised his now-empty hands over his head.

"You will be destroyed, oh Princess of Light, for here is only Nothingness!"

Kairi covered her head with her arms as the red bolts rained down like avenging fire.

_What am I going to do? I can't move like this._

Suddenly, the pain stopped. Kairi looked up to see Sora crouching over her, shielding her with his body. He smiled at her through the pain etched on his face.

"Hey, get up. Do you want to be as lazy as me?"

Kairi hugged him as the barrage stopped, and he winced. "Ow, not so hard, Kairi."

She hastily let go of him. "Sorry, sorry."

Xemnas's blades were back in his hands now, and he pointed one at them. "How can you sacrifice yourself for her like that? Are you not angry? She forgot you."

"That wasn't her fault." Sora stood, revealing the many scorch marks on his back. "She'll have to forgive me for forgetting her too."

"And what about Riku? How can you say you are not jealous of him and Kairi?" Xemnas pressed.

Sora looked over at Kairi. "If- If Kairi likes Riku... I won't get in the way when we get back to the Islands."

"Sora..." Kairi whispered. She stepped forward, squeezing Sora's hand.

"If you choose destruction, so be it." Xemnas spread his arms wide, and darkness curled around him in intricate curls, burning black and white patterns into his coat. "For I, Superior of the In-Between, am as eternal as the Nothing I command." His golden eyes opened, shining terribly. "Those who oppose me face oblivion."

Suddenly, he wasn't in front of them any more, but behind them, and Kairi screamed as his blade bit deep into the base of her right wing. Sora spun, but Xemnas was already gone, back on the far side of the field, where he gestured and Nobodies sprung out of the ground, ready to destroy.

Sora knelt next to Kairi. "Kairi! Are you alright?"

She nodded, biting her lip as she shivered involuntarily. "Y-yes." The injured wing was dragging, clearly unusable, and as they watched, both wings glowed, then shattered into hundreds of golden shards that fell to the ground and disappeared. Kairi shakily stood, drawing her keyblade. As soon as Sora was sure she really was alright, he turned back and drew his own Kingdom Key.

He ran at Xemnas, and Xemnas just stood there. At the last second, Xemnas teleported behind Sora, striking at him from behind.

This time he was ready. Sora rolled forward, and Kairi swung at Xemnas from behind. Xemnas turned at the last second, and the strike that might have struck him in the back hit his side. Xemnas hissed and fell away, holding a hand to his side.

He raised his hands and the ring of glowing red blades appeared around the two of them.  
Kairi raised her hand over her head and shouted, "Shield!" as the ring closed in on the pair. A dome of water mixed with ice surrounded them, taking the brunt of the attack, but the last blade got through as Kairi's shield weakened and she heard Sora yelp as it cut across his shoulder.

Kairi turned to him and put her hand on his wounded shoulder. "Heal." Green light flowed down Sora's body, healing the burns and gashes. Kairi felt a sickening drop in her stomach and she realized she was burning through a lot of energy very quickly.

"How much longer can we keep this up?" she quietly asked Sora.

He shrugged. "I'm willing to do it as long as I need to. Anything for you guys."

"Sora..." Kairi began, but Xemnas threw up his hands again. This time, instead of standing where they were, Kairi and Sora rushed towards Xemnas. Taken by surprise, the Nobody had no chance to defend himself, receiving more deep rends in his coat before he vanished and reappeared on the far side of the field.

Xemnas's once handsome face was bruised and his silver hair was in disarray, but his blades reformed in both hands and he ran forward to attack them directly.

He sent Sora flying with a kick, then spun to bring both blades down on Kairi's head. Kairi brought her keyblade up to block, but Xemnas used his weight on the locked blades to make her fall to her knees.

"Get away from her!" Sora screamed, recovering from his rolling impact with the ground and leaping to his feet. He closed his eyes and whispered something, then opened his eyes and threw his hand up, shouting, "Light!"

Sora was immediately engulfed in light as a pillar of it blasted Xemnas, throwing him across the field until he slammed into the ground.

He staggered to his feet, gasping. "You... you children can't defeat me."

Sora tried to say something, but instead he fell to his hands and knees, panting for air.

Kairi rushed to his side. "Sora!"

Sora waved her off. "I-I'm fine. Just... give me a sec. Haven't done this... in a while."

Kairi took his shoulder and closed her eyes. She saw spirals of links connecting her and Sora, but a set of them glowed strangely. Something was sapping both her own and his energy... something that seemed to be trying to give it back at the same time.

"No, you're not fine." She opened her eyes, looking at Sora. "Can you feel that drain too?"

"That's... what it is?" Sora closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at her and nodded. "It kinda reminds me... of when... I was asleep. A constant ebb and flow, you know... like the tide."

"Or the waves..." Kairi dropped her keyblade, raising her closed hand to her heart. "I know you're exhausted, but can you protect me for a minute?"

Sora smiled. "Of course... Kairi."

Kairi closed her eyes again. Yes, there were the links again, glowing in a brilliant kaleidoscope of different colors. They tied her to Sora and everyone she knew. They tied Sora to Kairi and Riku and people Kairi could only guess at.

Did Naminé always see this? Did she see the memories themselves like Kairi had earlier?

Kairi grabbed the set of four that shone a dull silver and pushed as much of her own golden light into them as she could, but they didn't change. The strange ebb and flow continued.

Suddenly, Kairi felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and Kairi knew as golden light flowed through her that the other six pure and kind hearts were helping her in the only way they could right now. Light flowed through the links until the dull silver links exploded into pulsing colors of their own, one shining silver and indigo, one as blue as ice, one black with gold flecks like the starry sky, and one golden orange like the sunrise.

Satisfied, Kairi tried to break away, but she couldn't- she couldn't even open her eyes- they just kept draining her. Hearing Sora's ragged breathing as he fought, she knew they were still doing the same to him. She realized the only way to free herself and Sora from the links was to sever them completely.

"_I'm sorry,_" she whispered, then snapped the ties, breaking the chain of memories.

Everything around her shattered into shards of colored light and Kairi found herself back in her own body, feeling smaller and more alone than since Sora disappeared that day three years ago, promising to return.

Sora looked down at her. "What did you do? I don't feel it anymore."

Kairi rubbed her arms, standing slowly. "Something Wave would be angry with me for. I think I used all my power doing it too." She looked down at her clothes, clothes that had returned to their previous state: pink dress, black hoodie, Wayfinder in her pocket and ribbon around her wrist.

"Will it help your friends?" Sora asked, his open face concerned.

Kairi nodded, and he smiled softly over his shoulder.

"Then I think you did the right thing. Why would you want power if it comes at the cost of your friends?"

Kairi hugged him tightly again, burying her face in his back. "Sora... Thank you."

Sora patted her shoulder awkwardly. "Uh, Kairi? You might want to let go of me. We still have one more problem to deal with..."

Xemnas raised his hands. "I... I am eternal. I will not... be defeated by the likes of you."

Letting go of Kairi, Sora raised his keyblade. "Hate to break it to you... but while Nothing might be eternal, I'm gonna guess you're not!"

Kairi folded her arms. "Xemnas, give up. You've lost. Don't make us destroy you."

"_I_ have not lost. You will be the ones **_destroyed_**." The red blades appeared all around them, their brightness reflecting a ghastly red on Xemnas's face.

Kairi raised her keyblade in a block, preparing for the worst, and behind her, she heard a clink as Sora did the same.

"Hey, Sora?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say... in case we don't make it-"

He looked at her over his shoulder. "Don't talk like that. We'll make it back. I told you, we're together, and that's all that matters. Soon we'll be back on the Islands, with Riku and everyone else."

Kairi tilted her head back, smiling slightly. "Oh, Sora... You're just like I remember."

"Huh?"

Xemnas pointed at them. "Enough with your foolish chatter. Your light shines much too brightly. You should learn what it's like in the **darkness**."

Suddenly, blackness flooded the area, cutting off all light except for the glow of the red energy blades. Kairi felt panic well up inside her as even they winked out. No light! The darkness was going to crush her, suffocate her, suck away everything she had into its void. She would lose everything, her body and heart lost to its numbing embrace.

She reached out, but her hand touched nothing. Where was Sora? Suddenly, she couldn't find him anymore.

Xemnas's voice whispered in her ear. "_A Princess of Light, afraid of the darkness? How... apropos. Here there __**is**__ no such thing as light. Here there is no little hero to save you_." Kairi shuddered as fingers caressed her hair. _"We may not have hearts, but we know how to injure them. __**Kairi**_."

It was funny, she remembered vaguely, but when they were little, Riku had needed to coax her into following them into the secret place, into going out when it was dark to see the stars. As she had gotten older, by following the boys she had grown out of her fear.

Somehow though, this darkness was different than those warm summer nights spent under the stars. It was empty and cold, as devoid of caring as those nights had been full of fun and children's laughter. She found herself wrapping her arms around herself, curling smaller and smaller to keep it away, to keep him away.

Something touched her shoulder and a spark lit the darkness.

"_**...airi!**__ Kairi!_"

At first Kairi felt only more fearful, but then she realized it was _Sora's_ voice, not Xemnas's, that was calling to her.

"Sora?"

"_Kairi, open your eyes! I won't let you get hurt, I promise!_"

That was right... Sora would never abandon his friends. He would never abandon her, not even in the darkest of places.

She couldn't abandon him.

Kairi opened her eyes. She was still standing back to back with Sora. He was single-handedly deflecting red laser bolts, making sure even when he missed, the bolt hit him, not Kairi.

Kairi held out her hand and Oceanlight took shape. "Sora!"

He looked over his shoulder and he smiled. "You're back! I- Ah!" He winced as he got hit, and Kairi yelped, "Sora, pay attention!"

"R-right!"

* * *

Aching from his wounds, Xemnas watched from above as his barrage of Ethereal Blades rained down on the pair. It was a shame about it, but the two were far too much trouble to keep around. He wondered if-

His eyes narrowed. _What?_

* * *

Kairi and Sora collapsed to their knees, gasping.

Sora grinned at Kairi. "We did it."

A red blur flashed past Kairi's ear and she froze, smelling her own scorched hair. The blade had just barely missed her head, taking a chunk of her bangs with it as it slammed down next to her.

Xemnas's feet touched the ground in front of them. "Tenacious, aren't you? I should have expected no less." He held his blade to Kairi's neck. "This really must be the end of the line."

"Don't you dare!" Sora yelled, leaping up and rushing at Xemnas. Xemnas easily deflected Sora's wild swing with the blade in his other hand and knocked him aside. Kairi took advantage of Xemnas's distraction to roll away from his blade and leap to her feet.

"Sora!" Kairi caught Sora as he fell back, an angry red burn cutting across his face from Xemnas's red blade.

Trying one last time, Xemnas held out his hand to Sora. "Minoru, listen to me-"

"_No! I'm..._ not... Minoru!" Voice breaking, Sora gritted his teeth, his free hand covering his left eye, and struggled to his feet. He held his keyblade out in front of Kairi protectively. "You'll have to..._ go through me..._ before you touch a hair on her head! _I'm..._ sick of you manipulating me to hurt my friends!"

_Even now, he's..._

"No, Sora." Kairi stood, and moving Sora's blade aside, placed herself in front of him. "This time I'll fight. You'll have to go through me, Xemnas!"

Sora stared at her back, but Kairi turned to him and held out her hand.

Understanding her request, Sora handed the Kingdom Key to her.

Kairi turned back to Xemnas, and brought the two keyblades together. There was a brilliant flash as the two keyblades melded together, and Xemnas jumped back, but he was too slow.

With both hands, Kairi raised the new keyblade, a beautiful fusion of Sora's Kingdom Key and Kairi's Oceanlight, and pointed it at Xemnas.

"I'm sorry."

Xemnas cried out as a bolt of light shot from the keyblade and ran him through. He fell to his knees, looking at his dissolving hands. "No... It cannot be..." Xemnas collapsed as his body succumbed to the darkness and faded away. The Nobodies under his command chittered to themselves, then one by one began to disappear, leaving as they had come.

Dazed, Kairi was still staring at the place where the Organization's leader had fallen when she heard a thud from behind her. She spun to see Sora lying on the ground, struggling to get to his feet. The battle, her fight with him, and the drain from the others had taken their toll on him, leaving Sora unable to gain his feet again.

Kairi dropped the keyblade and as it hit the ground, it split again into two keyblades, their brief fusion of power over. Both vanished instantaneously.

"Sora!" She knelt next to him.

"You... saved me again, Kairi." He looked up at her and smiled weakly at her horrified expression as she saw his face. "Come on, I don't look _that_ bad, do I?"

Kairi bit her lip, staring at the burn that marred his face and ran across his left eye. The injury was bad, and worse, Kairi didn't think there was anything she could do about it. She placed her hand on his forehead and whispered, **"Heal."**

Nothing. She was completely out of energy and the supplies Aerith had given them had gotten lost long ago. Actually, she couldn't remember seeing them since Twilight Town.

Sora saw her change in expression and he frowned, wincing as the burn protested. "Kairi-"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Sora blinked slowly again. "Kairi, I can't see anything out of my left eye. You think it'll come back?"

"Yes, I'm sure it will. I'm sure-" Her voice choked and she angrily swiped her eyes, fighting back tears._ I'm not sure of anything._ "Come on. Let's go, Sora." She stood, pulling on his arm to get him to his feet.

With Sora's arm draped over Kairi's shoulders, they began to walk.

* * *

"Hey, Sora..."

"Mmm?"

Kairi stared ahead, not trusting herself to look at him. "What I was going to say earlier... Riku saved me. He saved me a lot of times. He didn't have to, but he did. I thought... at the beginning... that maybe... but... Sora, I don't like Riku like that. I thought you should know."

As Kairi spoke, she realized the world was changing around them. Soon their feet crunched on dark grey sand and the light grew faint, dimming until the only source of illumination was a pale moon hanging low over the horizon. The only sound was that of waves gently breaking on a beach and echoing faintly from the dark stones.

Kairi felt Sora's breathing grow slower and when she looked at him, his eyes were beginning to close. Panicked, she shook him. "Sora, stay with me! You can't go to sleep again!"

His breath caught, then he opened his eyes again. "What... Kairi... I wasn't going... to sleep."

"Don't scare me like that," she answered, still worried. "Look, we're almost to the water. You can rest there."

Sora mumbled something incoherent, but Kairi half-carried, half-dragged him the rest of the way. She sunk down on the sand, Sora next to her.

His head fell against her shoulder, but this time she let him.

"Sora, you remember the Secret Place, right? You remember how we used draw there? Our pictures are still there, you know..."

Kairi kept talking, telling him about the time Tidus had challenged Wakka to see who could hold their breath the longest, about when Selphie had made Kairi come with her to pick out shoes before the island dance, stories about both their childhood and the time Sora had missed.

"Who won?"

Kairi stopped in the middle of a story about the time Tidus had tried to scare her and Selphie by dropping coconuts on their heads, and turned to Sora. "What?"

Sora's eyes were finally open again. He sat up, wincing. "Who can hold their breath the longest? Tidus or Wakka?"

Kairi laughed and hugged him. "Neither. Selphie dragged them out and threatened to tell their mothers."

Sora yelped. "Kairi, ow! Seriously, let go!"

She hastily released him. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just so glad..."

Sora looked over at her. "Kairi, I'm so sorry. I vanished for three years and you had to come and save me. I've caused you and Riku nothing but problems-"

Kairi shook her head. "Sora, _you_ saved _me_. More than once. Don't try to take all the blame on yourself either. What happened to you wasn't your fault. I'm sure Riku would say the same thing."

"Yeah, well... At least he made it back home, even if we never do." Sora stopped at the look on Kairi's face. "What's wrong? Isn't Riku back on the Islands?"

Kairi looked away. "No. He never came back. I left to look for him..."

"What? But you did find him, right? He's safe, right? Xemnas was talking about-"

Kairi buried her face in her hands, trying to hide her tears. "Sora... Riku's gone. I saw it myself. He's _gone_, Sora."

"No!" Sora slammed his fist into the sand next to him. "No, it's not true! Riku's strong, he couldn't- he isn't- It's a lie..."

"I'm sorry," Kairi whispered. "It's not a lie. I wish it was."

"No..." Sora fell backwards into the grey sand and Kairi wrapped her arms around her knees.

They sat there for a minute? an hour?

Sora sat up, and, half-unconsciously, both reached out to take the other's hand. Slowly, their heads dropped until Kairi's head was resting on Sora's shoulder and Sora's head on hers and they fell asleep.

* * *

Kairi was awakened when the waves brought something up the beach and it bumped her foot.

Kairi opened her eyes. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, whether it was for months or minutes, a second or an eternity; the dark realm they were trapped in had no sense of time.

Sora opened his eyes as well. The red burn had faded, leaving only a scar, but his left eye was still a silvery shade of blue that was entirely different from the right eye.

"What is it, Kairi?"

Kairi picked up the object. It was a bottle with a rolled up piece of paper inside. Carefully removing the cork, Kairi shook the message out.

She unrolled it, and as she read it, her hand flew to her mouth and she began to cry again.

Sora looked over at her, and, unable to say anything, Kairi handed it to him. As he scanned it, his eyes grew wide.

Still holding hands tightly, they stood and raised their free hands to shield their eyes from the sudden light that blossomed in front of them.

"We're going home," Kairi whispered. "Finally going home."

"Home..." Sora stared at the door, then, turning back, Kairi pulled him through.

Light engulfed them.


	23. Epilogue: Destiny Islands

***KH doesn't belong to me!***

* * *

**Epilogue - Destiny Islands**

_The silver haired young man's eyes opened. The caressing waves had washed him up on the beach. __**Is this... It can't be.**___

He slowly sat up, then looked down at his hands, then the rest of his body. He was back in his own form, dressed in a loose fitting yellow top and blue pants, the sea having stripped away all the remnants of the past three years.

He put his hand down in the sand and winced as he put weight on it. Around his wrist was a scar that shone silver in the light. As he raised his hand to his chest, he could feel the silvery circle of a circuitry pattern over his heart.

Not all the remnants, then.

"Don't you think it's time you got up, Riku?"

_Riku looked up. A black haired young woman stood over him, laughing softly._

"Q-Quorra? How did you- Why are you-"

_Quorra smiled._ "The King sent me to see if you would show up. He said he had a hunch that if you had survived, you would wash up here."

_Riku shook his head._ "But- I don't understand- Ansem- my body- I shouldn't _**be**_ here."

_Quorra knelt next to him._ "You're just you now. When CLU was destroyed, so was Ansem. But Riku-" _she poked his heart gently,_ "Riku is _**not**_ Ansem. No matter what he might think." _She stood, holding out her hand._ "Come on, there are some people who want to meet you. They said they've been waiting a long time."

_Riku looked at her, then nodded and took her hand._

* * *

**Final Notes: And that's it! I hope you enjoyed my first finished attempt at a long fanfiction! Please leave a review on how I could do better next time, what you liked, and what you didn't like. Please keep reading my work- if you liked this, I may rewrite it, or do a sequel. If not, I have at least two other KH stories planned. Check them out over at my DeviantArt page. I tend to put unfinished things and ideas over there. There's also sketches of the main characters too. ^_^**

**Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day!**


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